Death God
by alexadru
Summary: Ichigo is asked, more like forced, by Urahara to test out one of his new inventions. Predictably, things go wrong and now Ichigo is in a future where he discovers that aliens called Nova are attacking mankind and where humanity's only hope lie with the Pandora. And with his luck, Ichigo lands right in the middle of all this conflict. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue - Lost Shinigami**

**xxx**

"What do you want Urahara-san? I doubt you called me here just to sit and stare at your stupid hat." Ichigo commented lazily as he sat in the middle of a small room, his cheek resting in his right hand.

At this very moment our Substitute Shinigami found himself in the very familiar Urahara Shoten, a small candy shop in the prefecture district, that no one except Rukia and lately his sister visits. The owner of said shop, a man by the name of Urahara Kisuke, sat a few feet away from the teenager, a wide smile plastered on his face, one that he tried to hide using a green and white fan, one of his favorite accessories to go with the hat and cane . His lone visible eye from behind the shadow of his hat watched the substitute in front of him intently, an unmistakable glint of amusement reflecting from the iris.

"Oh nothing special Kurosaki-san. I just wanted to see how you're doing now that your powers have returned." He started waving the fan slightly despite the pleasant temperature in the room and the warm spring breeze outside. If anything, Ichigo guessed the shopkeeper did it only to annoy him. "How does it feel now that you're back into the afterlife business?"

Ichigo's eye twitched slightly as he remembered the whole process of him getting his powers back. That Ginjou and his Xcution nearly tricked him but thanks to his Shinigami friends he was able to turn the tide and defeat him. It still didn't sit right with him that he had to kill Ginjou but people needed to learn what happens if they involve his family and friends in their business.

"It's normal." He responded calmly. Really, what other answer could he give? Being a Shinigami was never a special thing to him, he didn't feel like a hero, he felt like himself and that's how he liked it.

"That's good to hear." The shopkeeper exclaimed happily. "After all the work I put into making that reiatsu sword that restored your powers, I would have been disappointed if you were unhappy." And true enough, finding a way to return the teenager's powers did take the scientist a few good months, but with perseverance and patience, he soon discovered the solution. A massive amount of reiatsu to jump start Ichigo's powers and restore their core so that they won't fade with time.

"Yeah, I just remembered. I never got to thank you for that." Ichigo said, his posture straightening before the eyes of the shopkeeper. A curt bow and the barely audible words of gratitude in the form of a 'thank you' followed moments later. This action surprised the hat wearing man, his barely visible eyes from behind his hat's shadow, widening at the sight. Raising his right hand slightly, he stopped the boy from his current motion.

"Now, now Kurosaki-san, there's no need for that. Considering all you did for us it was the least we could do." His words carried more recognition than Ichigo had ever heard from the blond man.

Ichigo just nodded and waited for whatever the older Shinigami wanted to tell him.

"Now, let's get to the reason I called you here." The sandal wearing man closed his fan, business becoming their new subject. "You see, I have this new invention I made and I need someone to help me test it out." The sudden amusement in his voice gave the substitute a feeling of uneasy in his gut that got more pronounced as seconds passed.

"Hold on a moment." Ichigo interrupted raising his hand and halting the explanation. "By 'someone' you don't happen to mean me do you?" The orange haired boy asked, finding himself more annoyed by the dumb grin on the other man's face, a small vein twitching on his forehead and his signature scowl as striking as always.

"Why of course." Urahara exclaimed happily, his fan dancing wildly in his hand, praising Ichigo like he won some sort of prize. "You are our trusty Substitute Shinigami are you not?"

That remark won him a kick in the face. "You bastard!" Ichigo yelled as he sent the blond haired Shinigami to the ground. "What am I? Your personal guinea pig?" The anger seeped in his voice would have been enough to make an unseated Shinigami from the Gotei 13 pee in his pants.

The shopkeeper however was unfazed by the display having dealt with Ichigo's temper before. Slowly getting on his elbows, his eyes met the substitute's. "But you are the only one who can help me Kurosaki-san, no one would do it." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world and that pissed the Ichigo even more.

"And what makes you think I'll do it?" Ichigo asked looking at Kisuke like he was some sort of idiot. "Why don't you test it out on yourself?"

"That's not possible." Urahara got on his feet dusting his clothes slightly and fixing the hat on his head. He then looked at the teen with a serious yet calm expression. "Someone needs to operate the device from the main control center and since I built it only I know how it works."

Crossing his arms, Ichigo still refused. "Well I won't do it." His voice left no room for argument.

"This is your final answer?" The shopkeeper asked, measuring the teenager's pose.

"Yep." Ichigo answered defiantly not even bothering to look at the other man anymore.

"Then I'm afraid you don't leave me any other choice." Urahara spoke cryptically, releasing a breath. "Tessai." He called his friend.

In an instant the large ex-captain was behind Ichigo and wrapped his steel like arms around his body, capturing him. The substitute started struggling but against the sheer strength of the large man, everything he did was useless.

"Oi, Tessai-san, let me go." Of course, this being Ichigo, he wasn't about to give up that easily.

"Relax Kurosaki-san." Urahara instructed, waving his fan slightly, the same amused smile plastered on his face. "Besides, I'm sure you'll change your mind about helping me out soon enough." The shopkeeper told him joyously. Ichigo's struggle ceased for the moment as he concentrated a glare at the scientist, telling him to explain what he meant.

"Why, I'm talking about what you and Riruka-san did a few weeks ago. I'm sure you don't want anyone to know about that." He told him simply, giving him a knowing look.

It took a few moments for Ichigo to process what the shopkeeper told him, but when it finally did, his face reddened in embarrassment. "How do you know about that?" Ichigo asked incredulously, but then it hit him. "You asshole, don't tell me you were there watching us?"

Kisuke just laughed. "Not just that Kurosaki-san, I even recorded you." He told the substitute shocking him even more. "Oh, by the way. Yoruichi-san is in Soul Society now visiting captain Soifon. All it takes is one small call and she'll give the video to the Shinigami Women Association." Urahara was watching the boy in anticipation. "So, what do you say Kurosaki-san? Did you change your mind?"

"...Go get eaten by a hollow." Ichigo complained silently as Tessai released him.

"Wonderful." Urahara was delighted by his answer. "Now, follow me."

**xxx **

"And here it is!" Urahara unveiled his masterpiece from under a curtain. "I'm quite proud how this one turned out." Kisuke boasted with pride, to him this invention was one that would revolutionize mankind.

Unfortunately for him, Ichigo didn't share the same enthusiasm. He just stared at the contraption with a mixed but otherwise not impressed expression. "Urahara-san, it's just a shower cabin with some wires and a panel with buttons." And true enough, the device did resembled a shower cabin, only difference were the hi-tech wires and devices attached to it, giving it a more sci-fi look.

"It's more than that Kurosaki-san." Urahara spoke, his enthusiasm not lessening in the slightest. "It's actually a teleporter."

"A teleporter?" Ichigo repeated surprised. "Why would you need something like that?" He didn't get it, didn't Shinigami have Senkaimons and didn't the shopkeeper also created a garganta? Why would he need something like a teleporter.

"It's quite simple. You see, a Senkaimon and a Garganta are used to travel between the Soul Society, the Real World and Hueco Mundo. However, this teleporter can be used to travel long distances instantly in the same dimension. Do you understand now? Senkaimons and Gargantas are for inter dimensional travels while my teleporter is for intra dimensional travel. I wonder what kind of name I should give it." He started thinking of a name.

"You can do that later." Ichigo interrupted, hoping to speed things up. "What exactly do you need me for?"

"Why I need you to see if it works of course. Here, put this on." The shopkeeper then gave the substitute a weird metal helmet that was oddly familiar to him.

Reluctantly, Ichigo took it and looked at it a couple of seconds, well, more like glared at it. "How are you sure this thing of yours won't kill me or send me to the Moon?"

"I've tested a prototype a few months ago when I sent some items to the Vizard's warehouse and it worked like a charm. Now I just need to make sure it works with living beings as well." Urahara informed the scowling teen. "Now, put it on so we can begin."

Ichigo tried putting the helmet on but it was proving quite difficult, it was like it had a mind of its own. It refuses to get on the boy's head no matter how hard he pushed. "The hell? How do you put this on?" Ichigo asked, pissed that he was failing to do even such a simple matter. Once he saw the glint in Kisuke's eye, he got another bad feeling.

"Easy! All you have to do is say: 'Oh sacred helmet of might. Infuse me with your courage, inject your life into me, penetrate my being with your technology and enable me to fly between distances quicker than you can say Urahara Kisuke is a genius.' And that's the incantation, come on, try it."

Ichigo just stared at him, his scowl visibly more pronounced that before. "That's stupid, I'm not doing it."

No problem, Urahara simply took out a phone out of his pocket and starting dialing a number. "Hello Yoruichi-san, it's me, Kisuke. How is your little visit going? I hope they're giving you enough milk. Now, about the things I told you about, it seems that you will have to..." He was quickly interrupted by Ichigo's yells.

"Alright, I'll do it, I'll do it." He watched how Urahara bid his goodbyes to Yoruichi-san and looked at him expectantly. Mentally cursing Kisuke, Ichigo recited the entire incantation and in an instant the helmet latched to his head like glue. The substitute had no doubt that it was another one of the shopkeeper's irritating pranks. "There, happy?" Ichigo asked sarcastically.

"Quite, now step inside." He motioned for the chamber.

Once inside, Ichigo scowled at the scientist from behind the glass as he watched him press numerous buttons. At one point Urahara started laughing like a madman, his shadow flickering in the dim light of the room, making the whole scene look like something out of a Frankenstein or Mr. Hyde movie. The shopkeeper quickly shut up and regained his composure but not before giving Ichigo the most crooked smile he had ever seen.

"Ready?" Urahara asked, his voice holding an almost palpable amount of excitement. Before Ichigo could even answer, he had already pressed the 'Start' button.

He then took a step back and watched his invention begin the process. The destination he had entered was the outside of his shop so that he could find out immediately if his device worked or not. He watched the generators light up with a blue color as the chamber where Ichigo stood started shaking.

It was working, his invention was working. Kisuke felt proud of himself.

'Warning! Warning! Foreign reiatsu contamination imminent. All systems have been reset to overload mode.' The sudden warning alarmed Kisuke.

"What?" Urahara exclaimed caught off guard by the sudden error. He ran to the controls and started pressing buttons madly. He didn't even get to do anything as the entire console exploded in his face, pieces of the screen as well as sparks flying wildly in the room. Covering his eyes, he forgot about the console and went to the container to check on the substitute's condition.

"Kurosaki-san!" He yelled out. The brightness made him unable to see what was happening inside. Reaching behind, he quickly unplugged the main power cord and all the generators turned off. The light diminished gradually until it returned to normal. Checking the chamber again, Kisuke noted with terror that it was empty, Ichigo had disappeared.

"Oh boy, this is not good." He muttered as worry started invading his body. Wherever the substitute ended, he hoped he would be alright.

**xxx**

AN: The beginning of another story. What am I even thinking? I can barely update my other story and here I am starting another one. Well, I'll manage somehow.

Before any of you tell me, the answer is yes. Yes, the beginning is similar with Constantin3e's story, 'Nova Rising' which I recommend that you check out, it's pretty good. But from here it will be different, I have other plans for Ichigo.

Only one question. Were Urahara and Ichigo in character? I tried my best to portray them but it didn't feel that good to me. I hope it'll get better with time.

That's it for now. Bye bye.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hey guys. First off let me say that I'm impressed. 13 reviews, 37 favorites and 68 follows for just the first chapter is a personal record. It's more than all my other stories combined. Thank you for all the support.

And now the chapter. Enjoy.

**Chapter 1 - Back to school**

**xxx**

Ichigo blinked once, then twice as he stood in front of Urahara's shop looking at it like it was some odd sight from a circus. To him it had only been a couple of minutes since he saw the small building yet despite that he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong with the current sight from his view. The once small and reclusive shop turned into a mansion that would make Byakuya's look like some cardboard box.

At first, the teenager thought that Kisuke's contraption failed and sent him to another place, but the large banner above the front entrance put an end to that though. It was written clearly 'Urahara Shoten' with large capital letters.

The substitute Shinigami then took the liberty to check the surroundings as well. Much to his unease, he discovered that not only the shopkeeper's home had changed but the entire street as well. Ichigo got the odd feeling that this sudden change extended not only to his surroundings but to the entire city as well and it was starting to scare him.

Turning to face the shop, he started thinking about what could have happened, this was way too weird, even for him. _"Alright, so Urahara-san told me to test that stupid machine of his, he then made me say some ridiculous chant for this hideous helmet and then he told me to enter that shower cabin."_ Ichigo was recounting the events with a hand under his chin and his best interpretation of a thinking pose, which looked like his regular scowling face, only difference was the scowl, it was more pronounced. _"Then that bastard started pressing buttons like he was at some whack a mole game, the whole thing then started shaking and I was engulfed in a bright light. Then I found myself standing in front of what looks to be his shop."_

After about 5 minutes he couldn't come up with anything so he gave up, much to his annoyance. Not knowing what to do he started walking towards the building. Who knows, maybe that sandal wearing bastard was inside and could tell him what happened. As he approached the entrance he griped the ridiculous helmet on his head and removed it quickly.

Gripping the handle tightly, he slid the door open and almost fell as his eyes fixed on the new interior. Statues and priceless tableaus were displayed everywhere, exotic plants along with interior water fountains that were probably made from some really expensive stone and the finishing touch, a red carpet that extended to the other side of the large estate. Ichigo was once again questioning if this really was the same shop, but he doubted there were any other Uraharas around.

"Oi, Urahara-san, you home?" He yelled at the hall, the echo doing a good job at amplifying his voice. After waiting a few moments, he got no reply. He was pondering whether to go and check every room, but decided against it. He'd rather not fall victim again to one of Kisuke's wacky creations nor did he want to 'accidentally' be greeted by a naked Yoruichi.

But it seemed that luck was on his side for once as a side door opened on Ichigo's right side. Looking in that direction, Ichigo was met with a familiar figure, it was none other than the blond shopkeeper himself, wearing the same ugly hat, green garbs and irritating fan of his.

"Kurosaki-san." The blond greeted calmly. "I see that you have finally arrived. I've been expecting you for quite a while now." He commented cryptically, yet he couldn't help but smile at seeing the orange haired boy again.

But the substitute paid no mind to the shopkeeper's demeanor, instead he started complaining. "Urahara-san, what the hell is going on? What happened with your old dump and Karaku-..." He was stopped mid sentence as Kisuke raised one of his hands to halt his array of questions.

"Kurosaki-san, I understand your confusion." The seriousness in his voice as well as the lack of his usual annoying smile made Ichigo silent. Seeing the normally happy and ridiculous shopkeeper act like this was a rare sight, one that made the substitute realize that whatever happened was serious. "Fear not, I will answer all your questions and explain everything to you. But let's make ourselves a little comfortable first." He then motioned for Ichigo to follow him into the same room he exited not one minute ago.

Frowning at the whole action, Ichigo reluctantly followed the shopkeeper, his curiosity winning over his desire to lash out and chew him. Stepping inside, the boy was surprised to see a simple room, one that had just one round table in the middle with a few seats. On the table there were two cups of hot tea, Ichigo guessed it was the same green tea Urahara usually served them with. The shopkeeper simply took a seat at one side leaving Ichigo to follow his example and sit on the other side. The two males were now in front of one another.

The next two minutes were spent doing nothing. The occupants of the room simply stared at each other without muttering even a word. Ichigo was slowly losing his patience, the shopkeeper said he will explain everything, but here they are sitting in an empty room watching each other like they were at some staring competition. His eyebrow started twitching when Urahara made a move, unfortunately he simply grabbed his tea cup and took a sip before he returned to their staring.

"Kurosaki-san." Urahara finally started, another minute and Ichigo would have exploded. "Before I explain the situation, what is the last thing you remember?" The shopkeeper asked, raising his head slightly giving the teenager a shadowed view of his eyes.

Scowling, but actually glad that he thought about this before hand, Ichigo answered. "You put me in that stupid shower machine of yours, you started pressing buttons like a madman, then you started running around and then everything went white. Next thing I know, I find myself standing in front of a remodeled version of your old shop and when I looked around everything was different as well. What happened? Did that ridiculous invention of yours fail or something?" Ichigo asked looking at the shopkeeper intently.

Kisuke merely smiled and started waving his fan, a gesture which annoyed the substitute. "On the contrary Kurosaki-san. My 'Super Instant Teleporter Mark 1' worked perfectly." He promptly ignored Ichigo's amused snort and slight jab at his naming skills. "In fact, I'd say it worked too well." He continued looking at the substitute with the same wicked smile.

Ichigo regained his frown immediately. "What do you mean 'it worked too well'? Urahara-san, what the hell did your invention do?" He asked getting more nervous by the second. A feeling of unease settle in his gut again as he waited for the shopkeeper to answer.

Of course, this being Kisuke, the answer would come in a roundabout way. "Back then, when I activated the SIT Mark 1, an unexpected phenomenon occurred. You see, when I first designed the device I wanted it to be something that all Shinigami can use so I had it set to be able to transfer Shinigami reiatsu. However, when I tested it on you, something went wrong and you disappeared. After I gave it some thought I realized why that happened, I didn't take into account your hollow reiatsu. It overloaded the system causing it to malfunction and altered the whole process."

"And what does that mean?" Ichigo yelled getting impatient, both his teeth and fists gritted tightly.

"It means that my device did work, but in a slightly different way. It brought you to the selected destination but it also sent you through time. So now." He paused slightly making Ichigo feel very uncomfortable. "Now, you're in the year 2065." Kisuke exclaimed closing his fan and pointing it at Ichigo.

"...What?"

**xxx**

West Genetics, one of the two military academies operated by the Chevalier in Japan along with East Genetics. It is home to the most powerful Pandoras in the entire world and also the site for the latest Nova Clash, the 10th one. After a hard fight, the Pandoras were able to defeat the four Type-S Novas that were after The Holy Corpse, the body of the first Pandora, Maria Lancelot.

Walking on campus now was Aoi Kazuya, a first year student and also Aoi Gengo's grandson and the late Aoi Kazuha's little brother. He is a teenage boy of average height, average build with black hair and brown eyes. Despite being physically unimpressive, his innate skills make him one of the most powerful Limiters in West Genetics. Notion accentuated by the fact that he can create a Freezing Field without and Ereinbar Set.

Currently, he was heading towards the cafeteria to meet with his partner, Satellizer el Bridget, the 'Untouchable Queen' herself. Despite having not done the Baptism a Pandora and her partner usually do, Kazuya still viewed himself as her Limiter and much to his delight, Satellizer accepted him, though it did take a bit of time for her to say 'Yes'. Their relationship has been great since then, their latest trip to Bali to visit her sister, Violet el Bridget, solidified their feelings for one another even more even with the incident concerning her brother, Louis el Bridget.

But even that unpleasant encounter showed Kazuya how kind his Pandora partner is. He saw it in her eyes, when Louis jumped off the cliff she immediately rushed after him. There had been no hesitation in her eyes, her desire to save her brother overpowering the hatred she bared for him. And that said a lot about her, despite her reputation at West Genetics, she's a really nice girl, one that every man would kill for.

He actually felt lucky that he was allowed such privilege. It meant a lot to him, more than the girl imagined at first. Even a casual meeting at the cafeteria is enough to send his heart racing like it was at some Formula 1 event. And the butterflies in his stomach were rolling around like a meth crazed hamster on a wheel, desperately trying to outdo his old record.

Slapping himself, Kazuya made all those strange comparisons disappear. How did he even come up with something like that? This was the effect his senpai had on him, she was making him feel all these emotions without even realizing it.

Entering the cafeteria, the young Limiter set on finding his partner. It didn't take long until he saw the familiar speck of her vast blond hair. She appeared to be sitting in the remote part of the cafeteria, far away from the main place where the other Pandoras and Limiters were seated. Even after opening up to him and coming out her shell, some of her old 'Untouchable Queen' traits still lingered. No matter, he would make sure to help her express herself in the future and with the main reason gone, the road ahead was very straight.

Making his way to her, he arrived at her table just in time to witness her head turn slightly towards him. Such a simple move almost froze him in place, her mesmerizing ocean blue eyes coming in contact with his own, her long hair flowing freely in the aftermath of her movement. The two teens looked at one another, unsure of what to say.

"G-Good morning senpai. I hope you are well today." The boy spoke hastily as he took a seat at the table across her. It's as he expected, his feelings are making him feel nervous.

The girl only smiled and gave a greeting of her own. "Good morning Kazuya." Her soft, melodious voice made the boy forget about the world around him, his every sense focused on the blonde in front of him like she was the center of his Universe. Unaware of the effect she had on him, she replied with the same soft tone. "I am well today, thank you for coming."

"Of course I'd come." Kazuya exclaimed as he leaned in slightly, his eyes filled with conviction. "I'm your Limiter after all, of course I'd come if you called for me." The seriousness in his voice made it seem like it was some life or death request when in fact it was only a invitation to have lunch together.

"I'm glad you could come then." Satelizer smiled as she pointed at the tray on her table that had at least 8 burgers. Kazuya slightly wondered how could she eat these many hamburgers and not gain weight. He could only come up with two answers. The first was probably because of her Pandora training and fights that burned many calories. As for the second one, well it involved two female organs that were very developed with the British Pandora. The boy started blushing thinking it was inappropriate of him to even have such thoughts.

"Kazuya?" The questioning voice broke the boy's trail of thoughts as he was made aware of his surroundings again. Looking at his partner he could see that she already finished her first burger and was well into her second. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Oh, I'll take one. Thank you." He hastily picked one and took a bite.

After a few minutes as Kazuya was just beginning his second burger, the girl broke the silence again. "Kazuya." This got his attention as he looked at her with a curious expression on his face, not stopping his chewing. "I-I want to..uh." She was struggling to form words as her eyes closed tightly. "Thank you!" She exclaimed suddenly.

"Eh, you're welcome? But I'm not sure I understand." Kazuya replied not quite understanding what she was saying all of a sudden.

"For staying with me and believing in me back in Bali." Her quiet and shy demeanor coupled with the cute blush on her cheeks and averted eyes was just too much for the boy to take. "And for fighting with me." She finished her sentence looking at him through her semi rimmed glasses with a slight thanking smile.

Kazuya too smiled at her, though his was more pronounced and cheerful. The familiar rosy coloring appearing on his cheeks as he started conveying his emotions. "Stella-senpai, I already told you. I'll always be with you and fight with you because you're my precious person. Whatever will happen, I'll be there to support you." Kazuya scratched his cheek awkwardly as he looked at his half eaten burger, too embarrassed to see the Pandora's reaction.

Hearing him talk that way made the blonde girl's head as red as a tomato. It was clear as day that he cared a great deal about her, just as obvious as her feelings about him. She remembered when she boldly proclaimed her love for the younger Limiter several times in front of her brother, once even with said boy listening. But now, in this relaxed and casual environment, she was a having a difficult time expressing the same emotions again. _'No, I'll do it this time.'_ Steeling herself, the blonde Pandora silently decided that she would do it with Kazuya, the Baptism that is.

"Kazuya." She began softly, looking up slightly, their eyes coming in contact. "W-would you l-like..." Just as she was to invite him to her room again, she was interrupted by the sudden appearance of familiar Pandora.

"Good morning Kazuya-kun, Satellizer-san." It was none other than the Tibetan Pandora, Rana Linchen. A girl of average height with dark purple hair tied into a ponytail on her left side, dark purple eyes, same as her hair, all while wearing the standard Pandora uniform. What gives her a unique feel is the blue tattoo on her left cheek underneath her eye as well as her way of ending sentences, adding 'de arimasu' after everything.

"Good morning Rana." Kazuya greeted slightly disheartened at having his moment interrupted but he didn't have the heart to tell the naive Pandora that, he feared it would ruin her happy demeanor. "How are you?" He added after a few moments of pause when he realized that the blond girl wasn't going to greet the other Pandora.

"I was searching for you Kazuya-kun. We should spend some time together, it's what Pandoras and Limiters do right?" The usual thing, Kazuya remarked. Apparently he was chosen as her 'soul mate' according to her stigmata or 'Tears of Kunlun' as she calls them.

"W-what are you talking about?" Satellizer demanded slapping her hands on the table and glaring at the other girl. "Kazuya is my Limiter, you can't do that with him." She tried sounding fierce but her embarrassment was getting to her and as a result, Rana was not impressed by her display.

"You say he's your Limiter yet you didn't do the Baptism yet, did you?" The fallen expression on the blond girl's face gave the answer. Grinning at her victory, Rana turned to the dark haired boy. "So what do you say Kazuya-kun?" She asked giving him a wide smile.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Kazuya tried to come up with something that won't hurt both girls. He didn't have much but an idea did form in his mind and with a bit of luck it might save him. "Uh Rana, we were eating so how about we do this some other time."

Curiously, the Tibetan Pandora finally noticed the food on the table. "Oh, this almost looks like a feast." Taking a seat at the table, she cheerfully began gulping down the mass of food, of course, not before announcing the well known 'Itadakimasu'.

Kazuya watched her for a few moments before turning to look at the blond Pandora. He gave her an apologetic look and a smile, action returned by her as well. The Tibetan Pandora however, remained clueless to this interaction, too caught up with ingesting as much food as possible.

After nearly an hour the trio found themselves walking on the campus, each sporting various expressions. Rana was as cheerful as always, Satellizer instead was calm and collected doing everything not to glance at the other Pandora while Kazuya tried to play peace maker.

"Ahh, that was so good. West Genetics really has great food." The purple haired girl exclaimed happily while rubbing her stomach. The small feast really pleased her, though part of the reason could be because it was Satellizer who paid for the food. The dark haired boy only smiled at her nervously.

Walking along, the blond couldn't help but wonder how did her intimate moment with Kazuya turn into this. _'Why is she following us?'_ As one would expect, her current position was not to her liking. She had no desire to be near the Tibetan Pandora, it's not like they were friends. Right?

"Huh, what's going on over there?" Rana asked suddenly. Following her gaze, the other two teens saw what made the Pandora ask.

A large gathering was seen in the middle of the campus. Pandoras and Limiters from different years were seen forming a circle around something and by the noise they were making, whatever it was must be quite interesting. Closing in on the group, Kazuya saw a few third year Pandoras that he recognized. It seemed that they did something to attract all this attention.

"Okay. We got all the people we need." A tall dark skinned Pandora with silver hair and blue eyes announced cheerfully. "This isn't a lecture either so go change into gym shorts. Once everyone's ready, we can make the teams."

Kazuya recognized her as Creo Brand, West Genetics rank number 5 and also a Pandora that fought with Satellizer and Rana when Attia tricked them. But despite that, it seems that there was no bad blood between them as Rana went to her, her personality as cheerful as ever.

"Hey!" Rana exclaimed, making her presence known. "I know how to play soccer too." Soccer huh? So this gathering is for a game of soccer between Pandoras with the third years hosting the event.

"Oh, you're Rana Linchen." Creo acknowledged as recognized the other girl. Like Rana, it seemed that she held no grudge either given that her smile was still in place and she didn't seem bothered by their arrival. Next to her a blonde Pandora regarded them with a surprised expression. Kazuya remember seeing her a few times, Elizabeth Mably, Third Year second rank, also one of the most beautiful Pandoras at West Genetics.

"Can we play as well Creo-senpai, Elizabeth-senpai?" The purple haired Pandora asked, eager to participate in any activity she could. "Me and Satellizer-san that is." Rana then pointed her hand at the blond Pandora behind catching her off guard.

Immediately, murmurs filled the small area. Things ranging from: _'The Untouchable Queen, she'll beat you to a pulp if you look at her.'_ to _'She'll rip your neck off if you foul her.'_ were heard, most of which bothered the bespectacled Pandora.

"Sorry, I don't want to." Satellizer refused quickly and turned around to leave, not wanting to hear more of the whispers.

"Hold on." Rana however was having none of that. Walking to the blond Pandora, she closed the distance between them until her mouth was next to her ear. Covering the gap slightly with her hand, she started whispering. "Why don't we make a little bet? Whoever wins gets to eat alone with Kazuya-kun next time. The loser has to leave them alone."

Such a proposal instantly caught Satellizer's attention. "So if I win I don't have to deal with you following us around all day?" She questioned looking interested in the offer.

"Same goes here." Rana confirmed crossing her arms at her chest, a confident expression plastered on her face.

It didn't take long for a decision to be made. "Fine, I'll do it. I'll play!" Both girls then started glaring at each other as they almost butted heads. "You just dug your own grave. England is the home of soccer." Satellizer boasted trying to scare the other girl off.

"Don't underestimate the power of my Tibetan soccer." Rana countered with her own jab. After another seconds of glaring they turned away and started marching to the field to decide the teams.

Meanwhile, being a spectator to their interaction, Kazuya watched helplessly as the two Pandoras waged war against one another. He was starting to think that they were taking this whole thing way to seriously. Releasing a breath, he hesitantly went after them, he could at least cheer for them. He was slightly thankful that it was a soccer match instead of an actual fight, maybe this way things won't be so bad. Or that's what he wanted to believe, but the uneasy feeling in his stomach told him otherwise.

**xxx**

Unknown to the dark haired Limiter, a few hundred miles away from West Genetics another boy, this time with orange hair was having it a lot harder than him. Kurosaki Ichigo was still silent after hearing the shocking news from the older Shinigami.

It's been about two minutes since he informed the substitute and this lack of response was beginning to worry the scientist. "Uh, Kurosaki-san?" No reaction. Urahara then started waving his fan at the boy's face, still nothing. Giving up, he settled for waiting.

He didn't have to wait much though. "2065..." Ichigo's voice was only a whisper as he barely managed to form words. "2065." This time it was cleared as his voice got harder. "2065." The substitutes entire body started shaking as his hand gripped the round table like it was his mortal enemy. Kisuke also heard the sound of teeth clenching, he began preparing for the worst.

And then, like a hurricane, the wind blew. "What the hell do mean it's 2065!?" The table went flying narrowly missing the shopkeeper, the tea spilled on the floor as the cups broke on contact. None of this bothered the sandal wearing man as his attention was focused of the fuming teenager.

"It's exactly as you heard Kurosaki-san. You traveled over fifty years into the future." Urahara confirmed, before he smiled wildly, the familiar dumb grin that annoyed Ichigo taking possession of his face. "It's not that big of a fuss as you make it though. You should feel quite honored Kurosaki-san, you're the first person ever that traveled through time." Sadly however, Ichigo wasn't the type of person that would care for such things.

"Like I give a shit, send me back." The substitute demanded, clearly unamused by the situation.

Waving his fan slightly, the green clothed man considered the request for a few moments. "Sorry, I can't do that."

"What?" The substitute yelled. "But you built that thing, didn't you? You better not be screwing with me you bastard. I'm not in the mood for your jokes." Ichigo kept glaring daggers at the sandal wearing man, hoping to kill him on the spot.

Kisuke only released a breath. "Allow me explain Kurosaki-san. Things are a lot more complicated than you believe. First, you must understand that time travel is still an area outside of my expertise and because your accident was an unexplained phenomenon, I could not replicate it. After your disappearance I tried using the SIT Mark 1 again, but every time my teleported would only send the person in front of my shop like it was originally invented. For the next few week I was stumped, I had no idea where to begin searching for you, for all I knew, my device could have sent you to the other side of the Universe." Honestly, such thoughts were beginning to scare Ichigo.

"But wait." Ichigo interrupted as he took a seat on the floor again, eyes focused on the shopkeeper. "Just now you told me that I traveled through time, how could you have known that?"

Kisuke only smiled. "It's simple. I know because you told me." This answer shocked Ichigo as he was starting to get confused. When did he tell him that? He just learned of this himself. Thankfully, an answer came moments later. "A few months after that accident, on one day you suddenly appeared in front of my shop without any warning. Believe me, I was so shocked I could barely react. After that you told me everything that happened to you, how you went in time due to your unique reiatsu affecting my device, everything that's going on in the future, of Earth's current condition and how I will build a device that can send you back into the past."

"You know how to send me back to the past?" Ichigo asked, getting some hope.

"Not yet. From what the future you told me, I will need a sample of your reiatsu for me to analyze and a few months for me to find a way modify my device and send you back." Urahara informed him.

"Assuming everything goes well that is." Ichigo commented dryly, scowling at scientist knowing that with him nothing will be easy.

"Don't be like that Kurosaki-san." Urahara replied with a joyous voice, his amused smile pissing Ichigo off. "When have I ever disappointed you?" Ichigo only gave him an 'are you an idiot' face as he glared at the blond Shinigami. Catching on, Urahara only tipped his hat over his eyes a bit more. "I see, but if it's any consolation, I will send you back to the past eventually."

Ichigo only snorted. "Yeah, let's hope you do. So how am I supposed to give you some of my reiatsu?" Ichigo questioned, ready to do anything in order for him to return to his time.

Urahara's only response was a smile. "That's easy, simply channel some of it into this." The older Shinigami then revealed a crystal sphere that was very familiar to Ichigo. Seeing how the substitute was struggling to remember when he used such a thing, Kisuke informed him. "It's made from the same type of Spirit Gathering Stone as the ones you used at Kuukaku-san's place when you went to Soul Society to rescue Rukia."

Finally remembering the event, Ichigo took the crystal from the shopkeeper's hands and examined it for a few seconds, trying to get the feel of it again. Breathing deeply a few times, his hand began glowing as his reiatsu started pumping inside, the entire crystal beginning to glow a light blue color.

"Now, leaving that aside, there are a few more things I should tell you. It concern the current situation humanity finds itself in." Ichigo only raised his eyebrow, looking at the other man expectantly. The shopkeeper was serious again so he might as well listen to him a bit more. "It all started around fifty years ago when a sudden tear in the dimension happened." Urahara then went on explaining everything about the Nova's. How the first ones appeared, how many more started followed after, how humanity invented the Pandora and Limiter system to fight back and defend themselves from the alien invaders.

At the end of the whole explanation, Ichigo was really confused and his headache wasn't helping either. "Alright, let's go through this one more time to make sure I got it. What are Novas, Pandoras and Limiters? And what is this Chevalier organization and West Genetics?" Ichigo asked rubbing his temples with one hand. He was feeling tired, it had been a pretty long day for him. Maybe the whole time travel thing, as well as the crystal in his hands exhausted his body more than he expected. He only hoped this would be the last part of the day.

The blond man only watched him for a few moments before he began with his explanation. "Novas are extraterrestrial beings from another dimension that appeared in the Real World one day and started wreaking havoc. Even to this day we still don't know the reason for their invasion. What we do know is that during every appearance, they targeted and annihilated humans, no form of communication was established between us. Because of that, humans have been at war with the Novas for decades. That's where Chevalier comes in, a military organization founded for one purpose only, to fight against the Novas."

"Together with scientists from all over the world, Chevalier designed the Pandora system. Using samples from the Nova tissues, they managed to create Stigmatas that are implanted into girls making them capable of fighting against the Novas by summoning 'Volt Weapon'. But even then there was a problem. You see, Novas fight by deploying a 'Freezing' field on the ground that immobilizes everything, making and easy target even out of the strongest Pandoras. At that moment, the Limiter comes in. Limiters, similarly to Novas have the ability to deploy their own 'Freezing' field to cancel out the Nova's field. Both Pandoras and Limiters are trained at special military academies called Genetics." Urahara paused to let information settle with the orange hair boy.

Ichigo could only scowl at what he heard, it seemed that no matter where he went, there was something major going on and it was just his luck to land in the middle of it. But he could look at the bright side for once, at least this whole Nova thing didn't have anything to do with him.

"Now, as for your new quarters, I already got you enrolled into Japan's West Genetics." The shopkeeper told him suddenly surprising him.

"What?" Ichigo asked confused. "What do you mean you got me into Genetics or whatever? In case you forgot I'm not one of those Pandoras or Limiters that can fight against the Novas." The substitute spoke quickly feeling a vein twitch on his forehead, a familiar feeling of annoyance rising within him.

"No, you're not." Urahara confirmed, fully agreeing with him. "But you've only been in 2065 for about an hour and you will spend a few months here while I build the device. It's best if you learn about Nova's and what better way to learn than from the same place that breeds out the soldiers that can fight them." Smiling at the teenager, Urahara tilted his hat to cover his face a bit more.

Ichigo however was not impressed, rather he was getting ticked off by the plans the scientist was making without even consulting with him. He was getting pretty sick of having his life planned out step by step by others. "And why should I go there then? Can't I stay here?" Ichigo questioned.

Kisuke only raised his right hand extending two of his fingers. "For two reasons. The first reason is because your future self, not knowing if he would ever return, decided it would be the best thing to do. Even after finding a way to send him back, he told me that that you should attend as well when you would arrive in the future and I personally agree with this as well. And the second reason, honestly speaking Kurosaki-san, the Pandoras as well as humanity needs every help they can get. Believe me, the number of casualties during the Nova Clashes are enough to make even me fear for the future of mankind."

Ichigo only watched the shopkeeper as he considered his options. Honestly, going to this West Genetics and fighting these Novas felt like it was going to be a big pain in the ass for him, the same type he usually got into willingly or dragged into by Fate's sense of humor. But if his future self also said that he should do it then maybe he should give it a try. Knowing himself, his future self most likely had a good reason for thinking it's a good idea, and truth be told, he also didn't like hearing that people got killed fighting these things. His innate protector instincts were triggered and he soon came to a decision.

"Alright I'll do it." Ichigo said finally, his ever present scowl as firm as ever.

"Wonderful." Kisuke exclaimed, once again smiling and cheering like an idiot. "Let's finish the preparations then. Follow me." He stood up and motioned for the substitute to go after him with a simple hand gesture.

Exasperated by the whole day, Ichigo stood and exited the room and went after the shopkeeper. As he trailed a few feet behind the sandal wearing man, he suddenly processed a word the shopkeeper said. "Wait, preparations?" The substitute asked, confusion embedded in his voice.

The older Shinigami was glad to answer him seeing that he spent quite a bit of time planning the best course of action. "Yes, ever since you've returned to the past and you told me of our future, I've been preparing for this day, making sure I had everything ready for when you'd arrive." Stopping outside of another door, Urahara introduced a code in a keyboard next to it. In a second, the device blinked a green color and the door was unlocked.

Stepping inside, Ichigo saw that he ended in a huge room with what he guessed were Kisuke's inventions. Looking around, his eyes fell onto the one that started the whole mess, the same one that made his life difficult now, the SIT Mark 1 as the shopkeeper named it. Tearing his eyes off of it, Ichigo preferred to look at the older Shinigami instead, him and that shower cabin weren't exactly best of friends at the moment.

Kisuke paid no mind to him though as he searched for something on one of the tables. After five minutes, it seemed that he was successful in his hunt as he started jumping around in happiness while holding a small metal box in his hands. After regaining his composure, but not losing the smile, he turned to the teenager and opened the box with a key, revealing its contents.

"Here Kurosaki-san, take this." Curious, Ichigo approached the scientist with a small degree of caution. When he was close enough to get a view inside, he stopped, gazed at the contents and almost fell in shock.

"A candy?" Ichigo nearly screamed incredulously, glaring at Kisuke thinking it was another one of his stupid, completely not funny jokes.

Urahara was not bothered by the reaction, he expected it in fact. "Not quite Kurosaki-san. It's actually something that will help you fight the Novas. Come on, swallow it deep." The former captain chuckled at the face the substitute was making. He couldn't help but admit that he enjoyed riling Ichigo up, if only to see what reaction he'd get from the scowling teenager. And like always, he didn't disappoint.

The glare on the orange haired boy's face was as hard as ever. "Heck no, I'm done playing test subject for another one of your shitty creations."Turning around, he looked away from the scientist, arms folded around his chest while holding a defiant expression.

"You don't have to worry about anything this time Kurosaki-san. I told you, I've been preparing this for decades so there's no risk involved. Besides, this time I'm sure it will work, you future self took one too and he had no problems." Kisuke negotiated slowly, knowing that Ichigo would give in sooner or later.

Releasing a tired breath, the substitute faced forward and hesitantly took the small candy pill. Starring daggers at it, he hoped it would disappear suddenly to save him the trouble. Now that he thought about it, how did he even knew that Kisuke was telling the truth? For all he knew, he could make things up about his future self doing some things and he'd do the same only because of that. Grumbling to himself, he threw the candy in his mouth and started chewing. Surprisingly, it tasted like chocolate, his favorite food, perhaps this wasn't as bad as he first thought.

After swallowing the contents, he waited a few moments before turning to the scientist, who was grinning at the boy. Getting annoyed again, Ichigo was about to retort when an intense pain invaded his whole body. His body fell, the legs no longer able to support the weight, his face hit the cold floor as a window shattering scream escaped his throat. He was burning, the bones were cracking and his meat and organs were beginning to melt. It felt like his whole soul went berserk, shattering and destroying him from the inside.

The scientist merely held onto his cane as he observed the suffering teen, not even a word escaping his lips, his expression hidden by the hat and the darkness of the room.

Ichigo felt like his body was seconds from evaporating, but just as he was about to lose conscious, everything stopped. Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized that the terror ended, as abruptly as it came, the pain vanished without a trace. He breathed heavily as he managed to get on his knees, his whole body immersed in his cold sweat. _'Damn, I'm really gonna need a shower after this'_.

As his body returned to normal, or at least close to it, he got on his feet again and instantly started roaring at the still silent but still annoying shopkeeper. "You bastard. What was that? You said this thing would work." Feeling stupid, Ichigo knew he shouldn't have given in so easily about taking that candy.

Urahara only chuckled as he fixed his hat. "Oh but it did work Kurosaki-san. What you felt was the candy taking effect." Urahara informed him, looking quite pleased with himself as he took his fan again and started waving it. "Now, why don't you try summoning your zanpakutou."

Forgetting about the anger, Ichigo looked at him as if he suddenly grew another head. "My zanpakutou? What are you talk-" He was interrupted mid sentence as he felt a weight appear in his right hand. Much to his shock, the familiar shape of Zangetsu had morphed out of nowhere and rested in his grip.

Kisuke only nodded, pleased with the result. "Good job. With this, dispatching the Novas should be an easy task for you. What my candy did was to bring out your Shinigami powers so that you could use them with your real body. Because of that, right now your live body is as strong as your spirit form." The scientist informed the teenager seeing his confused expression.

"For real?" Ichigo asked incredulously as his eyes left the large cleaver. "What about Bankai?" He had to know, despite his new excitement, he had to know the limits on how much power his body could handle.

Smiling at the teenager, Urahara informed him. "Your Bankai won't be a problem either. In fact, the only form that might strain your body is your Final Getsuga Tenshou, but even with that you should be able to fight for a while. Kurosaki-san, I tried my best to make this thing work, give me a bit of credit." The blonde haired man whined comically.

Ichigo only snorted as he made the large blade disappear. Staring at his hand a few more seconds, he looked at the other man again and scowled at him. "Don't push it."

"Right, now come here." Pointing at another device, Ichigo followed the scientist until he arrived at some sort of table that went inside a chamber. Kisuke then gave him an expectant smile.

Reluctantly, Ichigo laid on the cold plastic bench or whatever it was and waited. He felt the device begin to vibrate as it started moving, slowly inserting the piece where Ichigo rested inside the contraption. It only took a couple of seconds and the process was over. Ichigo was glad that this went as smoothly as it did, he might have not been able to deal with another candy experience.

"So what did this thing do?" He couldn't help but ask as he got off the bench and on his feet again.

Urahara was happy to answer that. "This device measures your potential as a Limiter, it shows your compatibility rate with Stigmata and we can see how strong of a Limiter you'll be." Urahara then pressed a few buttons and the results appeared on a monitor. Upon seeing them, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I expected as much." He commented, shaking his head slightly.

"What does it say?" Ichigo inquired looking closely at the large screen, trying to decipher what was on it but failing horribly.

"Well, let's say that if you ever decide to become a Limiter, your Pandora will be a very happy girl." Urahara replied cryptically, confusing the teenager.

"Whatever." Ichigo snorted as he gave up. He summed that response as him having a good compatibility.

Letting a few more giggles escape him, Kisuke addressed him. "Alright, we're done here. Tomorrow we'll leave for West Genetics and I'll leave you the rest of today to relax, eat or do anything you want. If you need anything just call for Tessai or myself."

Happy with that response, Ichigo quickly went to the exit and set on his search to find what he needed the most at the moment, a shower and afterwards a bed.

**xxx **

The next day, Ichigo was given a bag with clothes and whatever else he needed to West Genetics by Kisuke. He was glad to discover that the clothes Kisuke put were to his taste, it looked like a modernized version of his old style and he could say that he quite liked their appearance. Among the other things in the bag, there was his new uniform and a new type of phone that supposedly was the latest model. He'd have to read the instruction once he'd settle at West Genetics.

After eating a breakfast, the substitute followed the shopkeeper to his 'garage' as he put it. It was actually an underground hangar under the mansion that housed various cars, tanks, helicopters and planes. Ichigo almost fell when he saw the fine selections of machines in front of him.

"Urahara-san, how the hell did you get all these when all you did was own a second rate candy shop?" He had to ask, maybe the Nova that attacked so far brainwashed people into buying candy or something.

"You'll find out that I'm a pretty good merchant Kurosaki-san." Urahara boasted confidently, his ego growing slightly at the chance to show off his collection. He then pointed at a large helicopter with two large blades and a small one of stability. "Take that one for example, that's a Hawk Crossfighter V5. I bought it from a friend for a really good deal, it's quite the beauty, wouldn't you say?"

The substitute on the other hand gave him the most shocked face Kisuke had ever seen. "_You_ have friends?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

At that response, Kisuke had a crestfallen expression. His hat fell off despite being no wind inside the hangar. After the shock, he picked it and put it on his head again. "Let's go." He commented with a dead voice, walking slowly past the substitute, his entire mood going grey.

They embarked quickly and took off. It was fairly silent after Ichigo gave off that comment, in fact Ichigo believed that Kisuke was sulking in the pilot's seat. The substitute did consider apologizing, but he'd rather have some peace and quiet for a change so he settled in and enjoyed the ride.

After a two hour trip they arrived at their destination, West Genetics. As Kisuke landed the plane, Ichigo went to the ramp and opened it. Shielding his face from the strong winds, he managed to see for the first time the place he was going to spend these next few months. The word 'big' was simply not enough for such a large complex, the academy was massive, if you counted the campus it was easily over ten times bigger that his old school.

Feeling Kisuke step next to him, he looked down and saw that they had an escort waiting. A young woman, probably in her early twenties with short dark brown hair that extended towards her neck, wearing a uniform consisting of a pale blue, long-sleeved shirt with a navy blue tie and matching skirt, accompanied with long brown stockings and a pair of black, high-heeled shoes. Ichigo reasoned that she probably was a teacher or something and much to his embarrassment, he also noticed that she was rather gifted in the chest area.

"Greetings and welcome to West Genetics. I am instructor Yu-mi Kin." She stood straight and raised her hand in a military salute, her strong voice heard clearly in the wind. "It's an honor to have you visit our facility Dr. Urahara. I wish you a pleasant time during your visit."

Smiling at the woman, Urahara answered."Thank you, I'll be sure to have a good time."

"Sister Margaret is expecting you. I've been ordered to escort you to her office. Please follow me and try not to get lost." She said the last part looking at Ichigo.

Getting the hint, the orange haired boy took his duffle bag and went after the buxom instructor and the sandal wearing, green garbed moron who didn't even bother to dress for the occasion or at least to tell him to dress up. Going through the large facility, Ichigo was glad that he stuck close to the older Shinigami and didn't let his eyes wander. This place was like a maze, he'd have to search for a map or else he'd get lost in no time.

Twenty minutes into their walk they entered a large building that looked like a main hall. Inside they were lead to a big pair of doors. The instructor halted and informed them that the headmistress was waiting for them behind the doors. Excusing herself, she began walking to her class.

That left only the two males in front of the large doors.

With this morning's events forgotten, Kisuke smiled as he turned to look at Ichigo, a certain glint in his eyes that made Ichigo uneasy. "Are you ready Kurosaki-san? Once we're inside there's no turning back, you'll just have to go with everything that's being thrown at you."

"Just get on with it." Ichigo replied with an impatient voice, not impressed with whatever threat Kisuke was cooking up.

The older Shinigami only released a breath. "Just behave while you're inside, you don't want to make a bad impression on your first day here." And with that, Kisuke raised his hand to knock.

Moments later, the answer came.

**xxx**

AN: Done with another chapter. I'm quite impressed at how fast I updated, but given that I'm in a 'competition' with Nova Rising, I can't fall behind. Haha. I also noticed that it's a lot easier to write when you are motivated.

Hope you guys enjoyed the Bleach and Freezing parts. I'm going to ask again but did everyone seem in character? I really want to get as close as possible to canon, that way the characters will feel more real. And if there's anything else that felt off, don't hesitate to inform me.

Also, it seems that that a few of you are interest in the Riruka blackmail. Don't worry, I'll reveal that later, I promise.

Thank you all once again for the support. The next chapter, I don't know when it will be out but I hope it's before June.

Don't forget to review, follow or favorite if you like the story.

Bye bye.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hello everyone, I want to thank you again for the support. I've never had a story with this many reviews, favorites and follows. I makes me happy to see that you guys are enjoying the story.

Without anymore delay, the chapter. Enjoy.

**Chapter 2 - Seed of Promise**

**xxx**

Sister Margaret, the current Headmistress of West Genetics. She is a woman in her late forties with long black hair tied in a single braid that falls on her left shoulder. All of which is hidden by her wardrobe, a white religious attire, slightly reminiscent of the one nuns wear, as well as a habit that frames her face, allowing only a few bangs of her ebony hair to take in the sunlight permeating through her office window.

Sitting at her wooden desk, the principal of the Chevalier facility appears to have quite a frail form, the passage of time fully affecting the once beautiful woman. However, despite her lanky figure and softly wrinkled face, her obsidian eyes carry the same gleam they did during her prime, during her time as an active Pandora serving Chevalier. Yes, the calm and soft spoken woman battled Novas in the past, her vast prowess allowing her to emerge victorious over the extraterrestrial entities. After her retirement from the system, she chose to share some of her experience with the newer Pandora generations to further improve their effectiveness at taking down Novas. It was because of her devotion that she was assigned as head of a Genetics school.

As she organized her documents, the woman couldn't help but worry about the increase in the Nova Clashes. It was obvious to anyone who bothered to check that the interval in between these attacks was waning, the latest Clash being irrefutable proof of that. Now adding the continuous decrease in number of women that are stigmata compatible, the future of humanity seemed to be heading on a bleak path. For now they would manage, she rationalized, but they were in desperate need for new ways to strengthen Pandoras or new methods to fight against the Novas.

Catching sight of an odd document in her large stash, she slowly plucked it from under the mountain of files and carefully opened it, her eyes dancing on the content. It was the letter she received from the well known Dr. Urahara Kisuke, quite a bizarre man in her opinion, but a brilliant scientist nonetheless. While it was true that Aoi Gengo invented the Pandora system and was recognized as head scientist at Chevalier regarding stigmata development, Urahara Kisuke brought valuable improvements to the design and overall structure of the stigmata tissue, all of which created the final product used today by the current Pandoras.

While recognizing his brilliant intellect, she couldn't help but wonder about the mysterious scientist. He made so few public appearances, his name wasn't well known among the civilians and thus only those affiliated with Chevalier and Genetics knew of him. She did have the pleasure of meeting him at Chevalier gathering a few years ago, right before the 8th Nova Clash if she remembered correctly. It came as a shock to her when he had told her that he owned a candy shop in Karakura town, never in a thousand years would she have guessed that such a renowned person would have such a mundane occupation. His laid back and detached personality was also a refreshing and welcomed aspect of his character, in some ways he resembled Aoi Gengo's own personality.

In their brief talk she got a glimpse of the blond scientist's view regarding the 'Nova Rising' threat. The way he spoke betrayed little concern, he was quite optimistic in their future as well as the survival of the human race. When asked about this all he would do is chuckle and state that the 'Gods' were on their side. Puzzled by his bizarre response, she dropped the matter and settled on discussing his latest theories and research.

Closing her eyes, she allowed the events from that day fade in the depth of her mind as she concentrated on the documents in her hand. A letter from the doctor himself as well as a registration paper for a Limiter with a few personal details of the teenager. Initially, she was surprised by his request, for various reasons. The first being that not a few weeks ago, Aoi Gengo also enrolled his grandson, Aoi Kazuya, into Genetics. She vaguely wondered if there was some connection between the similarity of their actions. As for the second reason, she had no idea that Dr. Urahara had any relatives, let alone someone fit to become a Limiter.

As sister Margaret pondered, a knocking sound was heard from the door. "_So they're here already."_ She thought to herself as she quickly tidied her desk, leaving only the documents of interest in her view. Then, in the same cordial voice that she always speaks with, she called for her guests. "Please enter."

No sooner than the words left her mouth, the door swung open and the blond scientist entered the large and classically decorated room. As she took notice of the man's attire, sister Margaret couldn't help but smile briefly as she internally shock her head. She had forgotten about this certain trait, Urahara Kisuke was probably the only person who would dare show up at a meeting wearing everyday clothes. Though she had to admit, the man's preferred choice in clothing was interesting to say the least, with the green shirt, green pants and a large dark coat with white diamonds patter on the bottom half. His accessories in special amused her, a striped white and green hat that covered his face, allowing a few bangs of his golden locks as well as the tiniest glow of his eyes to show, a cane made out of wood and a small fan colored similarly with his hat.

Her eyes then shifted to the doctor's sidekick, a teenage boy about as tall as the scientist himself. The first thing that she took notice was the boy's bright orange colored hair. It stood out like a fire in the middle of the forest, only after taking in this abnormality first was she able to see the rest of the teenager. After she examined him for a couple of seconds, she could easily say that he fitted the criteria for 'delinquent' and with his unruly and spiked hair, defiant posture and scrutinizing gaze, it was a legitimate conclusion. But her experience taught her more than the ways of combat and she was not one to judge a person by their appearance but by their words and actions.

"Good afternoon sister Margaret." The older man greeted graciously, his lips lifted upwards in an amiable smile, his body bowing slightly in a swift greeting. The boy merely followed his example and exchanged a greeting of his own. "It's been quite some time since we've had the pleasure of speaking like this." Kisuke added afterwards, fixing his had slightly.

The woman could only agree with him. "Yes, I believe our last meeting was right before the 8th Nova Clash. Still, it brings me joy to be able to speak with a man such as yourself."

Kisuke only chuckled good naturedly. "Please ma'am, the pleasure is all mine. I'd gladly take a chance and talk with a woman as lovely as yourself, but unfortunately I get caught up in my work and tend to forget about the world around."

Nodding in recognition, sister Margaret answered. "Completely understandable, considering our current situation, we need all the work we can get. These days I too get caught up with my work, not to mention the latest incident concerning the 10th Nova Clash, these last few days were hysterical. My hope is for things to calm enough so that we can properly assess the situation. Furthermore, there is the with the new forms the Novas have shown." The woman then proceeded to talk about some of the details of the latest Nova Clash with Kisuke paying close attention.

As the two discussed something that Ichigo lost all understanding in the middle of the sentence, he curiously eyed the...principal he guessed. Though what kind of principal dresses like a nun for a church? When he first entered the room, upon seeing her for the first time, he was hit with a sense of ease and tranquility and that feeling didn't fade even now. The woman in front radiated kindness in a similar way to the 4th Division's Captain, Unohana Retsu.

"Now back to the matter at hand." Ichigo heard the woman speak as he gave her his full attention. "You must be the one Dr. Urahara mention in his letter. I'm sorry, I have yet to memorize your name."

Taking that as his cue, the substitute-soon to be student answered. "Yes ma'am, Kurosaki Ichigo." He spoke clearly, his voice harboring no malice, only sincerity and honesty, though his expression still bared the slight scowl.

Kisuke slowly placed a hand on the teenager's shoulder as he spoke. "I know such a sudden request must've come as a surprise, but I believe that Genetics will benefit greatly by having Ichigo as a student here. I personally have high hopes in him that he will be a huge help in the future." At that comment, the orange haired boy resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the act the shopkeeper was pulling. Is this how he got that mansion of a home back in Karakura?

Sister Margaret only flipped through the documents as she listened. "I have read his papers and have no objection to his enrollment in Genetics, though I find it odd that you decided to bring him now. According to your file, he had never been enrolled in any Genetics facility yet you want me to enlist him as a 3rd year student. You understand my reluctance for doing such a thing, considering his lack of experience."

"Yes, about that." The shopkeeper then searched in his outfit and pulled out a file. "This here are the results of the 'LIM' test I had Ichigo run recently. I trust you'll find the results to be quite intriguing." Urahara spoke, his smile growing wider as hid hat shadowed one of his eyes. For his part, Ichigo suspected that the shopkeeper gave her the results of that test he took yesterday after the candy incident, maybe this time he'd find out a bit more about what it meant for him. He didn't.

Shifting her posture slightly, the ex-Pandora took the piece of paper and regarded its contents apprehensively. Moments later, Ichigo saw her eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly, though not enough to give her an uncouth appearance. "This is..." She trailed off as she stared at the numbers printed on the paper.

Urahara only rested on his cane as he chuckled slightly, understanding the reaction perfectly. "Yes, I thought the same thing as well. So, interested in him?" He let a joke roll off his tongue despite already knowing the answer that will come.

The woman only nodded. "With such potential it would be a big mistake as headmistress not to accept him. I have most of the documents I need for his enrollment, I just need this registration paper to be signed by his parents or legal guardian." She informed them as she brought up a paper from her desk.

Ichigo was about to say that it couldn't be done, but Kisuke beat him to the punch and answered instead. "I'll sign them right away. As Ichigo's loving, considerate and generous uncle, I will do everything I can to make sure that my dear nephew gets the education he needs." The boldness and passion of such declaration, coupled with the superb performance the shopkeeper demonstrated earned mixed reactions from the occupants of the room.

Sister Margaret was awed by the affection the doctor expressed for his kin. It brought a warm smile to her face seeing how the usually reclusive man valued his family so much.

Ichigo on the other hand almost fell off his feet, his eyes widened like dinner plates, a bit more and the risk of his eyes falling out of his sockets would have been imminent. With horror taking possession of his face, he looked at the shopkeeper, silently praying to every God he had ever heard of that it was a sick joke. Seeing the amused glint in Urahara's eyes and remembering the small warning before entering the office, Ichigo noted with terror that the older Shinigami was very serious. Urahara his uncle? He'd rather be Grimmjow's brother than have anything to do with the ridiculous man next to him.

Opening his mouth to deny this crazy affirmation, the substitute was cut off by Urahara's hand covering his mouth as he was pulled in a headlock by the shopkeeper. Muffled sounds were hear as Ichigo struggled to free himself from the strong grip, arms flailing wildly in the air, hoping that he could hit the shopkeeper at least once.

"Is there anything else you need sister Margaret?" The blond haired man asked, unfazed that he was pretty much chocking the younger boy.

The Headmistress watched the pair with confusion, her eyebrows raised slightly as she didn't know what to make of the scene. Rather than being shocked, she remained neutral. As noted before, Urahara Kisuke was a strange person, what's not to say the rest of his family was the same? She merely reasoned that this was the way their family bonded. A peculiar, if slightly disturbing way to bond, but she was no stranger to odd behaviors and who was she to judge them?

"Aside from the papers, I only wish to ask your nephew a couple of questions, if that's alright with him." She informed the older man, looking intently at the pair as if telling them to stop fooling around. The scientist smiled briefly in her direction before he quietly complied with the request and released the substitute.

Feeling the shopkeepers grip loosen up, Ichigo managed to free himself, prying the arms of his neck as he jumped a few feet away. Taking in a few breaths to replenish his loss of air, he turned at Kisuke and gave him a hard glare that promised pain for the stunt the shopkeeper just pulled. Predictably, he only got a smile in return which did nothing to lessen his bad mood. Composing himself, Ichigo turned around and addressed the principal.

"Yeah, sure. I don't mind answering some questions." His voice got calmer as he spoke, though his scowl remained firmly in place.

Nodding, sister Margaret gave the papers to Kisuke to sign before she joined her hands and rested them on the desk. "Very well. It's nothing too private, I just wish to know your feelings about joining West Genetics. What made you decide to join West Genetics as a Limiter?" Eyeing him with interest, sister Margaret waited patiently for the boy to respond.

"Eh!?" Ichigo exclaimed slightly, not expecting this kind of question right off the bat. His eyes shifted in the direction of the shopkeeper, hoping that he could at least help him out a bit. Sadly however, Kisuke was too busy signing the papers, but Ichigo caught the slightest flicker of a smile threatening to posses Urahara's lips. That made the boy frustrated, the shopkeeper knew that he was in an uncomfortable position and was having a laugh at him now.

Slowly cursing him in his mind, Ichigo focused on the woman and answered. "Well, Urahara-san said it would be good for me to attend. He said that it'll be good for me learn more about the Novas and that my abilities would be able help humanity in this fight." The substitute hoped that his response was good enough, he figured he'd rather not reveal anything about him being able to use his Shinigami powers, Pandoras were after all still human so they wouldn't be able to understand what he was even doing or how. He'd have to ask Kisuke later about that.

Sister Margaret only nodded. "It is true that according to the test results provided by Dr. Urahara, you have the potential to become a great Limiter." Closing her eyes slightly, she took on a more serious demeanor as her voice also took a commanding note, fitting for an ex-Pandora who leaded a platoon against the Novas. "However, the fact remains that if I were to enroll you as a 3rd year student, you wouldn't be able to receive the training Limiters received during the first two years. And considering that you've never attended any Genetics before, you'll have a hard time catching up. Do you think you are capable of doing this?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." Both Ichigo and sister Margaret were caught off guard by the shopkeeper's voice and turned to look in his direction. It seemed that he was finished with the papers and was now looking in the headmistress's direction. "You see, Ichigo here is fortunate enough to be a really fast learner. He can pick up skills faster than anyone I know, I'm sure that he'll have no problem going through the Limiter training. From my knowledge it's nowhere near as extensive as the ones Pandoras have do."

While she didn't doubt the doctor's words, she still had doubts about the boy's talents being that impressive. "Forgive my skepticism Dr. Urahara, but I still don't believe he'd be able to handle it as easy as you say."

"Then how about we have a small bet on that?" This sudden proposal caught everyone's attention.

Frowning at the idea, sister Margaret glared slightly at the scientist. "A bet? I'll have you know that I do not relish myself in such appalling games and I have no intention of changing that fact now." As figurehead of the entire West Genetics facility she could not approve of such infantile ideas.

Ichigo could only agree with the headmistress, but he knew that the shopkeeper wasn't done yet. He probably had decades of training in the art of annoying people and given his intellect, the ability to toy with them was not out of his reach as well.

Pulling his fan out of nowhere, Urahara started waving it in a peaceful gesture. "Don't be like that, it's nothing serious really. If you want we won't even call it a bet but let me say this. The average time for a Pandora and her Limiter to be able to utilize the Ereinbar Set in battle efficiently is two to three month, correct?"

Confused, but somewhat interested in what the doctor was planning, sister Margaret answered. "Yes, the amount of time needed for most Pandoras and Limiters to fully utilize the Erenbar Set is three months as you say. Though I don't understand why this is relevant in any way." She searched the shopkeeper's eyes for a hint that would give a hint to his motives, but all she found was the faint glimmer of his steel gray eyes.

Meanwhile, in the forgotten part of the room, Ichigo was once again lost to the discussion the other two started. _"Ereinbar what now?"_ Having no idea on the subject they were discussing, he settled in for waiting, much to his annoyance. When were they going to finish this? He would really need to find out what this whole Limiter thing was all about, Kisuke's explanation was woefully lacking in details as it was becoming apparent.

Smile widening, Kisuke spoke again. "What if I were to tell you that Ichigo could probably do it in a week? No, in three days even." Holding an air of mystery, the shopkeeper's words were as hard as a hammer to the ears of the headmistress as her eyes widened.

"Impossible." Her fain voice was barely heard by the male occupants of the room, though her surprise and disbelief was evident. "Are you telling me he can reach the full potential of a Limiter in less than a week?" To sister Margaret such a notion was absurd, never in her life has she heard something as bewildering as this, not even from the top Limiters from Chevalier.

Hiding a bemused laugh behind his fan, Urahara eyed the woman intently. "Perhaps, I can't tell for sure since without a stigmata from a Pandora there is no way of doing the process. But I did help Ichigo with some personal training and self defense measures. The speed at which he was learning every skill, technique or move was astounding. I have no doubt that Ichigo will be able to successfully manage the training."

On the side, Ichigo was starting to get the feeling that the older Shinigami was using him to show off or something.

Sister Margaret remained silent, closing her eyes as she took in what the doctor said. The atmosphere in the room got heavier as the stagnant silence was shattered by her voice. "Urahara Kisuke, I am aware of your status at Chevalier, but I pray that you haven't done anything that would affect your nephew in any way. Aoi Gengo has already ruined his granddaughter, I hope that there won't be another event like the one four years ago." It was subtle, but her words carried a slight thread that both of the males were able to pick up due to their battle experience.

Kisuke's fat shut violently, the sound it resonating in the entire room. Gone was his smile and his comical poise, the shadow under his hat became even darker as his eyes vanished in the depth of its darkness. His eyes opened immediately afterwards, the air around him shifted slightly as if to mirror their color, a metallic gray, harder than any steel. His expression reminded Ichigo of that time after he defeated Aizen, serious yet with a faint pensiveness to it.

Resting both hands on the wooden cane, the shopkeeper spoke again. "I'm saddened that you could even think of that sister Margaret. While I admit that I did guide Ichigo on this path, everything he accomplished was done with his own power, with his own sweat and blood. And don't speak so lightly of things you have no knowledge of, especially of information regarding Aoi Gengo's actions and the motifs behind them." The scientist finished his small rant as he locked eyes with the woman.

Moments later, the tension vanished as he released a breath. "Our small chatter sure has gone haywire, hasn't it?" Twisting his lips upwards, Kisuke's posture relaxed as his voice gained it's amused edge back. Even his eyes lost all their seriousness, he was back to his original goofy persona.

Reflecting his actions, sister Margaret likewise softened her expression. "Yes, I apologize if I have insulted you in any way. It was not my intention to bring up this subject, I just wish for nothing bad to happen anymore." A part of her was curious about his words, the way Urahara Kisuke spoke was as if he knew of Aoi Gengo's plans and work. But she had no right to pry it out of the blond scientist, if anything, she should question Aoi Gengo in person, but that was a matter for another time.

"It's fine, now about Ichigo. Do you have any more questions?" He waved his fan to settle this matter and appropriately display his thoughts, that he wasn't bothered by their small altercation.

"Only one if it's no trouble." She turned to look at the fire headed teenager who remained silent during their small dispute. He didn't look phased at all, his expression remaining firm and neutral. "What do you think of the fight between humanity and the Novas? Do you believe in our victory over the invaders?" As the words exited her lips she brought her hand together and awaited his response.

Urahara too was looking in anticipation, slightly curious at the answer the substitute will give.

Sensing the eagerness in the room made Ichigo hesitate a bit. "I don't know much about Novas other than what Urahara-san told me and some basic information. I haven't seen one in person and I don't know how strong it is, all I heard was that Pandoras are having a harder time than any against them." At that moment his expression turned serious as he confidently looked at the headmistress, eyes burning with determination. "But I don't care about that. As long as I can stand up and fight, I will protect my comrades with my life. If that means standing up to enemies from another dimension then so be it, I won't back down. I will win, no matter what."

Sister Margaret blinked as she absorbed the small speech, for a second she thought she had seen his eyes flicker to a light shade of blue, though she dismissed at as a light trick when she checked again more carefully and saw that they were the same shade of brown as they were a minute ago. His words though were surprising, they carried a resolve that the ex-Pandora has rarely seen even during her days as an active soldier for Chevalier. That level of intensity was something else, it was almost if his words were a sword strong enough to pierce even the Heavens themselves.

Next to the teenager, Urahara couldn't help but smile proudly at those words. He had almost forgotten about it, but the substitute's resolve was as inspiring and powerful as ever, it was almost as if his words were palpable. He was sure now, Ichigo would be able to change this forbidding position they found themselves in, he had all the necessary qualities for it and he would help him, that was a given.

"I see, so that's your conviction." the ex-Pandora spoke softly, leaning slightly in the back of her seat, a smile painting itself on her expression. Looking at the teenager she couldn't help but express it, such an interesting boy he was. "Thank you Kurosaki-san, that's all I wanted to ask." Said boy only nodded.

"No problem." Ichigo answered swiftly, glad that they were done with the questioning. If he was honest with himself, he was quite pleased with that last answer he gave. It wasn't a lie, he didn't know what Novas were but regardless of his enemies, Aizen, Espadas, Novas, he was dammed if he wouldn't do everything in his powers to defeat them and protect his friends and family.

"This will be all Dr. Urahara." Addressing the shopkeeper, sister Margaret gathered all the documents and placed them in the folder. "I have enrolled your nephew. Is there anything else you wish to know or something else I can do for you?"

"Just if the arrangements I requested were done. Oh, and a class schedule for Ichigo, he'll probably need it." Urahara answered. Ichigo mentally agreed with him, much to his irritation.

Nodding in his direction, sister Margaret opened the drawer at her desk and took out a pair of keys from it. She slowly placed them on her desk. "These are the keys for the room you wanted, Room 15 on the first floor of the 3rd Year Boys Dorm. As for Kurosaki-san's class schedule, I'll arrange for his teacher to have it prepared for him, just show up at class 103 at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning for your first period. Your homeroom teacher is instructor Yu-mi Kim, she's the Pandora who escorted you here." She informed the orange haired boy.

"If that is all then please allow me to be the first to welcome you to West Genetics Kurosaki-san. I hope you'll have a pleasant stay and I expect to see great things from you." Offering him a warm smile, the small welcome made Ichigo a bit nervous.

"Uh, thank you ma'am." The substitute answered averting his gaze slightly while scratching his right cheek in an effort to mask his discomfort.

"Shall I arrange for an escort or will you be able to get to the Dorms Dr. Urahara?" The woman asked while looking at the scientist, expecting him to at least settle his nephew in the room.

Waving his hand dismissively, Urahara answered. "I think I can get us there without much trouble and if not, then I'm sure one of the Pandoras or Limiters will be kind enough point us out in the right direction." Smiling from under his fan, Urahara gave her a knowing smile.

"Very well then, I'll leave you to guide your nephew. I assume you'll be leaving today as well, right?" Receiving a nod from the shopkeeper, she continued. "In that case, please come see me again before you depart, I wish to talk a bit more with you." She informed him calmly, a pleasant smile gracing her features.

"Of course, I will be there shortly." With this small goodbye, the shopkeeper headed for the exit. Ichigo offered his own parting words with a small bow, before he grabbed his bag from the floor and hurried after the shopkeeper, closing the large wooden doors behind him.

Releasing a breath, the mid aged woman leaned back in her chair as she closed her eyes and started breathing deeply, relaxing her entire frame and mind. _"Aoi Gengo, Urahara Kisuke, both of them are important scientists and both of them have enrolled their nephews into West Genetics."_ Was this something planed, part of a bigger scheme or was it really a coincidence. As much as she trusted Dr. Urahara, the fact that he resembled Aoi Gengo in some ways didn't put her at ease. His nephew on the other hand was quite interesting, she wondered whether he knew of some plans regarding the doctor, but his honesty was genuine, she had rarely seen someone so determined. Opening her eyes, she gazed through the window of her office, taking in the small but excellent view she had on the academy. She should waste to much time on such thoughts, she had responsibilities but she would be lying to herself if she said that he didn't intrigue her. Keeping a close eye on him, she might just do that.

**xxx**

Exiting the main room of the headmistress, Kisuke turned towards the substitute, smile present on his lips, as he waited for him to catch up. "I'd say that went quite well, don't you think so too Kurosaki-sa..." He didn't get to finish his sentence as Ichigo's elbow viciously slammed into his mid section, leaving him out of breath. Dropping his cane, his knees wilted as he found himself on the ground.

"What, no more 'dear nephew' or 'Ichigo'? You're back to Kurosaki-san again?" Ichigo replied irritably as he watched the shopkeeper whimper on the floor. _"Tch, serves him right."_ This was his payback for the stunt the older Shinigami pulled in the office.

Recovering slightly, Urahara managed to get on his feet with the support of his cane as he laughed pathetically and rubbed his hat. "Ah that. It was necessary Kurosaki-san, in order to avoid problems for you, I had to make you my nephew. It would be suspicious if someone as 'talented' as you came out of nowhere. Being a well known scientist gives me a few advantages, advantages I can use in your case." Getting up as if he didn't just suffer a crippling hit, Urahara fixed his hat and smiled joyously. "But more about that when we get to your room. And if you want, I can call you Ichigo as well. Don't tell me you liked it so much you now want me to always call you that way? Kurosaki-san, if all you wanted was some affection from me all you had to do was ask. I would have been delighted to supply it." Smiling widely, Urahara looked as if he was about to hug the substitute.

Eyebrow twitching, Ichigo released a tired breath. "Never mind." He grumbled lowly as he made his way towards the Dorms, too exhausted to deal with the shopkeeper's eccentric personality.

"You're going the wrong way Kurosaki-san, the Dorms are on the other side." Hearing the amused tone in his voice, the orange haired teenager stopped and turned around, glaring menacingly at the scientist who only grinned in return.

Taking the lead, Urahara started walking towards the campus, Ichigo following a few steps behind, not wanting to be associated with him.

**xxx**

Lunch break, one of those times when students usually get food, gather at a table with their friends and start chatting about the latest gossips. Of course, Aoi Kazuya wasn't necessarily that type of person, but the same cannot be said about his 1st Year classmates, Hiiragi Kaho and Arthur Crypton. Those two liked to talk about anything and would often ask the dark haired Limiter about his opinion.

"And I swear that Cherry from 2nd Year is a masochist. I heard some Pandoras saying that they saw her Limiter carrying a whip and some handcuffs with him when he visited her at the Girls Dorm a few days ago." She informed them as she sipped on her drink, something apple flavored if Kazuya remembered correctly.

"Really? I suspected as much. When I asked Jim, her Limiter, he would get quiet and say that he had to leave. So Cherry-senpai is really into that, that's too bad, you'd think that with her calm and intellectual appearance she would be more dignified. My Ganessa-senpai would not stop so low, she's much too graceful for that." Comparing everyone to his Pandora partner, one of Arthur's hobbies Kazuya figured. Though if he took his words for granted then no other Pandora can compare to Ganessa Roland, Arthur was pretty much treating her like a goddess.

"There you go again, it always comes down to Ganessa-senpai with you doesn't it?" Hiiragi deadpanned, rolling her eyes at the blond Limiter.

"Hey! Ganessa-senpai is best Pandora, as her Limiter I have to make sure I appreciate her and treat her right." Arthur defended boldly, having no shame in proclaiming his admiration for his partner in the middle of the cafeteria. Kazuya had to admit though, he admired the other Limiter for his courage when it came to expressing feelings.

"Speaking of best Pandoras. Aoi-kun how are things between you and the Untouchable Queen?" Her hidden jab was missed on the blond Limiter who also became interested in the topic. Now both of them had their attention concentrated on the Aoi family's youngest member. "I heard that she invited you to some resort her family owned." Hiiragi pressed on hoping to get some dirt out of him.

"Yeah." Kazuya answered hesitantly. "Her family owns a resort in Bali and we spent a week there."

"So that means that you're finally partners?" Arthur questioned taking another two fries in his mouth. "Spending a week at an exotic island with everything paid, must've been nice. How I wish that me and Ganessa-senpai to do something like that, walking hand in hand on the soft sand, watching the sunset and kissing under the stars. What an experience." The Dutch Limiter carried on with his fantasy, unaware that he was lost to the other occupants.

Releasing a tired breath, Hiiragi ignored the dreaming blond and shifted her gaze to Kazuya. "So as he was saying, are you and that Untouchable Queen official yet?" She asked, her question not going by the boy.

"We are partners, but ugh, we haven't done the Baptism yet." He answered nervously, averting his gaze slightly.

"Eh!? You haven't done it yet?" Hiiragi exclaimed looking surprised and incredulous at the same time. It also seemed that the scream caught Arthur's attention as well.

"No, not yet." Was Kazuya's meek reply.

Nodding sagely, Arthur placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "See, what did we tell you all this time. She doesn't have any intention of forming an official bond with you, in other words you're being used by her. You should tell her what you want and if she refuses you should ditch her and find yourself another Pandora." So it was this issue again, this always happened when Kazuya brought up Satellizer to his friends.

"It's not like that!" He denied loudly. "Satella-senpai, she's important to me, I wouldn't want anyone else as my partner. So I'll wait for her, I'll wait for Satella-senpai to tell me that she's ready. I'll be her one and only Limiter!" Slightly embarrassed that he just admitted his feelings in front of his friends, he was hesitant to look them in the eyes and waited for them to disagree with him like always, tell him that he was delusional and that he was blinded by the beauty of the blonde Pandora.

Only that it never came. The criticizing the black haired Limiter expected didn't come. Confused, he turned to look at the occupants of the room and found them looking intently in front, apprehension evident in their startled expressions. Blinking, he did a 180 with head to see what made those two so uncomfortable. As soon as he found the source he felt his blood stop flowing, it was none other than the object of his adoration, the 'Untouchable Queen' herself, his blonde haired Pandora partner, Satellizer el Bridget.

Panic shrouded his entire being as a million questions started racing in his head. _"Why is she here? When did she get here? Did she hear anything? How much did she hear? What does she think of all of this? Did she like it? Did she hate it? Will she get mad at me? Will she keep talking to me?"_ And these were only a few of the queries that circled through his mind. It was then when he noticed the rosiness on her cheeks, her frozen posture and the awe in her cerulean orbs. His sanguine system restarted again, granting him the same coloring on his pale skin as he realized they had been staring at one another for quite a while.

"G-good afternoon Satella-senpai. Can I help you with something?" Being the polite boy he was, he promptly expressed his desire to help the British Pandora.

Recovering slightly, the 2nd Year Pandora lowered her gaze to the floor as her lips twisted to give a reply. "G-good afternoon Kazuya. W-would you l-like to eat together?" Extremely nervous by the whole action and considering that Kazuya's friends were there as well, Satellizer was having a hard time keeping her demeanor, her only way of relaxing being her hands playing with her long skirt in an effort to distract herself.

Kazuya smiled at the proposal, despite his blush. Quickly gathering his tray, he bid his goodbyes to his classmates, who returned them awkwardly, and jogged towards his partner before leaving together to another table.

"What was that about?" Arthur questioned unwittingly, his eyes trailing the departing pair.

Still shocked, but to a lesser degree than the boy, Hiiragi carefully though about her response. "She came and asked him to join her for lunch." She spoke slowly, ignoring the small 'Oh' that came from the boy. Seeing as she wasn't going to get much info by staring, she returned to her burger. _"Untouchable Queen, that's the first time I ever saw her look so...defenseless. I wonder what happened between her and Aoi-kun?"_

**xxx**

After leaving the table, Kazuya accompanied the buxom Pandora to a random table. Slowly touching his cheek, he notice how hot it was. _"So this is how my skin feels when I blush..."_ He had to admit to himself, having such a realization was very unusual on his part, but his senpai brought all kinds of new reactions so he guessed that things like this will become the norm for him.

Speaking of things his senpai did, that football game the 3rd Year students organized, it turned out worse than he expected. It was safe to say that there wouldn't be another match for a long time. Thinking about it now he couldn't help but picture the British Pandora in the middle of the field, her clothes torn to pieces as she tried to cover her modesty. Shaking his head he mentally berated himself, here he was again having dirty thoughts about his senpai.

A few feet in front of him, Satellizer was trying to come to terms to what she just heard not five minutes ago. Did Kazuya really care for her that much? Actually, that was a stupid question she realized. It was obvious how he felt for her, she realized it a couple of days ago herself, but hearing him talk that way and declare that he is her 'one and only Limiter', she couldn't help but feel bashful about it.

Since they almost reached the table, she lifted her head to locate the exact one. Once she found it, she stopped dead in her tracks as she slowly eyed the location. The coloring drained from her face, every semblance of her previous nervousness gone as her fists clenched, her eyebrows furrowing in irritation. There, in front of her, at her table was the Tibetan Pandora who was feasting on her food, again. If she were to catch sight of them then she would most likely try and take Kazuya away from her, again. She wondered if they could get away somehow without alerting her. No such luck though.

"Rana?" The surprised voice of her Limiter made all that impossible as she watched with annoyance how the other Pandora lifted her face from the mountain of food and started waving wildly in their direction.

"Yahoo, Kazuya-kun, Satellizer-san, right here." Unable to retreat, Satellizer complied begrudgingly and went to the table, the boy merely following her. "Can you believe it, I found this table full of food and no one sitting at it. Why would someone abandon such pleasantries is beyond me." Given her joy, she completely missed Satellizer's muttering on how it was all her food and how she paid for all of it.

"Hello Rana, how are you?" Kazuya asked politely, smiling slightly in her direction.

"I'm doing wonderful now that you're here Kazuya-kun." And with that the purple haired Pandora latched to his arm and started hugging him.

Of course, this affectionate gesture was not taken well by the blonde Pandora as she quickly conveyed her discomfort. "Why are you here? In case you haven't seen, I wish to eat with Kazuya, _alone_." Her words were ice cold as she empathized on the word 'alone'.

"Oh? Satellizer-san, are you perhaps jealous?" Rana asked making sure to push the boy's arm deeper into her blessed chest, a confident smirk playing on her lips as she regarded the other Pandora with interest.

"D-don't make fun of me, I'll beat you to a pulp!" The blonde haired Pandora threatened.

Sensing the mood changing for the worst, Kazuya needed to change subjects quickly and hopefully distract the Pandora's attention. "Uhh, aren't we here to eat?" With that he quickly untangled himself from the Tibetan Pandora's grip, took a sit at the table and resumed his eating. Seeing his actions, the girls mimicked him and took a seat of their own before beginning their own meal.

"So, anything new happen? Any new rumors or something?" Kazuya asked nervously. Gossiping was not his thing, but at this point he'd do anything to stop the Pandoras from arguing.

"Oh about that, I remembered that I wanted to tell you something."Rana exclaimed. "I heard that a new student transferred in the 3rd Year and that it's someone important, related to a doctor or something. Someone saw instructor Yu-mi Kim escorting them to sister Margaret's office."

"A new transfer student?" Kazuya questioned. How weird, it was pretty late in the year for someone to transfer, then again he transferred pretty late as well so who's he to say that it's unusual.

"Is it a Pandora or a Limiter?" Satellizer asked her own question, momentarily forgetting about her anger, curiosity winning her over.

"I don't know, but I guess we'll find out tomorrow. " Rana concluded.

"I guess." Kazuya trailed off, taking a sip from his juice. A new Pandora or Limiter, that may be a good thing, after the latest Nova Clash their forces were low on number so they needed any help they could get. But a 3rd Year transfer would have it pretty hard, regardless of gender, finding a partner would be pretty difficult. Though perhaps for a Pandora it would be easier considering they usually took Limiters younger than themselves. For a 3rd Year Limiter, well, there were some rare cases of Limiters having better compatibility with younger Pandoras so maybe he was that type of guy.

As the boy lost himself to his musings, he didn't notice that Satellizer and Rana started arguing again. This time it was because of Rana's comment that if the new transfer student turned out to be a Limiter, the British Pandora should go after him and leave Kazuya alone. Needless to say, her temper nearly exploded at that suggestion.

Unknown to them, a few tables away a group of people happened to overhear their discussion. The group consisted of the 3rd Year Pandoras who also organized the football match Kazuya was thinking about. Elizabeth Mably, Arnett McMillan, Creo Brand, Attia Simmons and Ingrid Bernstein. All of them were well known and respected Pandoras, occupying the top positions of their year, excluding their president Chiffon Fairchild and her 'lapdog', as Arnett usually refers to her, Ticy Phenyl who held both 1st and 3rd places respectively.

Taking a sip out of her tea, the oldest heir of the Mably family allowed a smile to morph on her pink lips. "It would seem that this latest rumor caught quite the attention." She commented elegantly.

"Yes, but like most of them, they don't have much to offer. Only what everyone knows, that someone transferred and that whoever it is has something to do with a doctor. It's not something we could use." Attia spoke as she took another bite of her sandwich.

"I spoke to someone who has seen them with instructor Yu-mi Kim." Creo gathered everyone's attention. "Turns out that it's a Limiter that transferred, a 3rd Year Limiter."

"A 3rd Year Limiter?" Arnett exclaimed, her eyes widening at the prospect. "Why would someone transfer in so late? Doesn't he know that Pandoras prefer to do the Baptism with younger Limiters?" While she did bring a good point, there was no official rule stating that. "Finding a Pandora for him will be quite hard, I guess only those who haven't found a Limiter yet will be interested in him."

"Creo, what about the doctor? Do you know who it is?" Ingrid asked, her curiosity lessening since it was only a Limiter rather than a Pandora.

The dark skinned beauty only shock her head. "No, she didn't recognize him. All she saw was that he wore green clothes, a white and green hat and had a wooden cane, but that's it."

"Eh? What kind of style is that?" Was the confused voice of West Genetics' 'Mad Dog'. "I thought important people liked to dress fancy for these types of meetings or at least show up with their lab coat. What is with that guy?" Not belonging to an important family, Arnett didn't understand how these things actually work, she mostly relied in the information Elizabeth or Attia provided.

"Whatever the case may be, I'm sure we'll find out more tomorrow." Elizabeth once again attracted everyone's attention, giving them a beautiful smile. "After all, this Limiter will show up during our class tomorrow, I'm quite curious to see what type of person he is." With that everyone resumed their current activity. Elizabeth too returned to her tea but not before thinking about this turn of events. For some reason, she had a feeling that things will get a lot more interesting from now on.

Oh, how right she will be.

**xxx**

AN: And that's it for this chapter. Kinda on the short side if I'm honest, wanted to add some more, but then I would've dragged it too much so I left it like this. Hope you guys liked it, it kinda felt to me that I didn't do as well on the second half like I did with the first. I guess part of the reason is because I had to write this one pretty fast, I'm on my exam period now and didn't have much time.

Speaking of time, there won't be an update for an entire month. I will be going on some 'training' trip if you can call it like that (it's more like an extended vacation) and I won't be taking my laptop with me, too much trouble. I apologize in advance for this.

And now, to address a few things. I have read all the reviews and will keep everything you guys said in mind. Ichigo's family for one, I'll add a scene in the second chapter about that, it was my mistake that I forgot about them altogether, I will correct that. Also, someone gave me a pretty interesting idea that I just might use in the future, but that'll be much later.

Which leaves the usual: Was everyone in character? Did everything seem alright? If you saw something wrong like a mistake or an error on my part, don't hesitate to tell me.

Oh and don't mind the chapter titles. Most of them will be pretty random, I will probably edit a few when I come up with something better.

Guess that's all for now. Don't forget to review, follow or favorite if you like the story.

Bye bye.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hey everyone. I'm still alive, yeah. I know you guys waited a bit for this one so just enjoy and we'll do the boring AN at the end of the chapter.

**Chapter 3 - New Student at West Genetics**

**xxx **

It's been almost 15 minutes since both males set out from sister Margaret's Office and the orange haired boy was beginning to wonder just how big this Genetics Academy was. On their way they passed a huge campus with numerous buildings, some of which were special facilities like research centers, recovery centers, training facilities and many other with some complicated names that Ichigo didn't bother remembering. He was too busy being surprised with the scale of the school and irritated that he had to learn his way around this place if he was going to spend the next few months here.

Currently, he was following the green garbed shopkeeper who was leading him as if he knew the place like the back of his hand. Despite still being somewhat upset with him, he gave up glaring at the back of his head since it had no effect on the blond male, and opted instead to look around. So far, it looked like any other prestigious Academy Campus with both males and female students from all over the world, some more exquisite than the other, but still acting like teenagers their age. Other than the size, the only thing that stood out was the airport where he and Kisuke landed, as well as the large building on his left that Kisuke informed him was an arena where 'Carnivals' were being held. Of course, when he raised the question on what a 'Carnival' was, his only answer was an amused smile from the older Shinigami, which annoyed him.

After what seemed like a long time, they finally stopped at a three story building who Ichigo assumed was their destination. "We have arrived Kurosaki-san." Kisuke informed him, turning to look back at the teenager who, just as promised, kept a small distance between them. The shopkeeper wasn't bothered this action, je just continued smiling pleasantly at the teenager. "Let's make our way inside, shall we?" With that, he took the lead again and entered the complex, Ichigo trailing close behind. Arriving at room 15, which was on the first floor, Kisuke unlocked it and stepped back a bit before glancing at the young Shinigami

"After you Kurosaki-san." The shopkeeper urged him as he made room for Ichigo to enter first.

Rolling his eyes, the freshly enrolled student went past him into his new room. Stopping a few feet inside, he blinked as his eyes absorbed the contents that entered his view. The room was very big, generously so for just a single person, with a small hall that was big enough for a dresser, a place for his shoes, and two doors that lead to a storage area and the bathroom respectively. Peeking inside it, Ichigo noticed the modern equipment it possessed as well as how clean the place was, you could probably eat off the floor of it, not that he was eager to try it, but it was just that clean.

Exiting the lavatory, the substitute came into view with the main dish, his bedroom. As hard as it was to believe, the place was even more impressive than the bathroom. A huge double bed lay in the middle of the room with a blue and white cross design that eerily reminded Ichigo of his bespectacled friend, Ishida Uryu. Next to the bed were two small night tables continuing on one side with a bookcase, which held various books, some actually looking familiar to the teenager, and on the other side, a small corner which had an electric guitar as well as a shelf with some CDs and some weird looking objects that Ichigo didn't know what they were, but had a hunch that they were music related. Across the bed was another support with various DVDs and CDs. Slowly dropping his duffle bag on the floor next to the entrance, Ichigo made his way to the shelf and picked a random DVD. His eyes widened as he realized that it was one of his favorite movies. Getting up, the orange haired teenager went to the wooden bookcase in the corner of the room. His hand hovered a few seconds above some of the books as his eyes trailed the titles before he finally took out one of them. Opening it, his eyes widened in realization again as he recognized the volume. It was a worn out copy of 'Hamlet' by William Shakespeare, more to the point, it was _his_ copy of the play written by the master playwright. Looking back up at the bookcase again, he also recognized some of the manga volumes he used to read, some of them printed after his accident with Kisuke's device. In the corner of the room it was the same story, Ichigo immediately recognized one of the bands, he remembered going to it with his friends after the Winter War. It was one of his first attempts to reclaim his life as a simple human being and normal teenager. It wasn't what he expected, but it was a pleasant memory nonetheless.

Glancing between all of them, he couldn't find an explanation to all this and turned to Kisuke, his expression full of confusion. "How...?" He trailed off with his question as he didn't know what to ask exactly. His only hope of enlightenment was the blond haired shopkeeper.

Tipping his hat over his eyes slightly, the older Shinigami spoke swiftly, making sure to sound as warm as possible. "Just some small gifts left behind from your friends and family." He didn't say anything else and waited for the substitute's reaction.

"From my friends and family?" Ichigo repeated the last part animatedly. A few moments passed as he processed what the shopkeeper told him, his scowl furrowed slightly in thought before his entire expression widened in shock. That's right! His friends and his family!

"Urahara-san, what about my family and friends? Are they...?" Ichigo didn't finish the sentence as his muscles clenched in fear, his body tensing hard, anxiously waiting for the other man to tell him what happened to his loved ones. He couldn't believe it, he forgot to ask about them when he arrived yesterday. He mentally berated himself for such a thing, this should have been his main concern the moment he found out about the time he was in, yet somehow, this worry was pushed in the back of his head as his entire focus was directed at the notion that he was now in a different time where humanity was in grave danger.

The smile on Kisuke's face brought a tiny bit of relief to the teenager, but he still needed to hear his answer. "You have nothing to worry about Kurosaki-san, both your friends and your family are fine." And just like that, a huge weight has been lifted off of Ichigo's shoulders, the boy releasing a breath as all the tension he build up has been released.

"That's good." Smiling briefly, Ichigo relaxed at the news.

"In fact, all of them helped with the decoration of this room." The blond haired man continued making Ichigo blink as he looked with a curious expression at the other male. "Yes, take this bookcase for example. All of the books from it were selected by Inoue-san, she mentioned that you two used to talk about literature and manga together and that you would lend each other books. She had a good grasp on your preferences and handpicked every volume you find on the shelves, some of them are even from your own home." Despite not looking directly at him, Ichigo heard every word from the blond haired Shinigami. His expression softened as he pictured the bubbly auburn haired girl.

Stepping forward, Urahara moved his gaze to the corner of the room. "The guitar, as well as the music you can find there, that was all Sado-san's doing. I was a bit surprised on how knowledgeable he was about the subject, but it worked for the best and we managed to secure most of your favorite bands and songs." Glancing in the same direction as the shopkeeper, Ichigo's gaze lingered on the musical objects. Of course Chad would know his tastes, he used to be in a band and it was him that he turned to when searching for music to listen to.

"Across the bed is your cinema and playing area." Kisuke approached the small stand, before he rested both hands on his cane. "Here you can either watch movies or play video games. Simply select what form of entertainment you desire from the main console here and wait for it to set itself." The shopkeeper pointed at a panel that was located on the wall directly in front of him. "I should mention that every movie as well as every video game was selected by Arisawa-san, I'm sure you won't be disappointed by her choices." Crouching down, Ichigo picked up a case. Checking it, he recognized the game, it was a remake of the game 'Tekkin'. He remembered her lending it to him a bit over 2 weeks ago in his time, he enjoyed the game and looking forward to the next one to borrow from her.

Allowing a few moments for the boy to take all the information in, Urahara turned around and spoke again. "The bed sheets are the same too." Hearing him speak again, Ichigo got up, still holding the game, and set his eyes on the large double bed. "They were a present for Ishida-san. I remember him saying that he won't bother doing anything for you like leaving a gift, yet he was the first one that brought his to me. It was quite a funny sight, his excuse was amusing as well. Allow me to quote what he said: _'Don't be ridiculous, as if I would make something for Kurosaki. I just happened to find some old sewing material that I wouldn't have used anymore and rather that throwing it away, I made something useful out of it.'_. Those were his words." Ichigo smiled. Yeah, that sounded like the Ishida he knew. The bastard would never admit that they were friends, though in all honesty, Ichigo himself would deny such a claim as well.

Gliding past the orange haired boy, the shopkeeper stopped next to the desk and a chest that were right next to the window. "And here you can find all the things your family left behind for you. Go ahead, open it." Kisuke urged the teenager as he took a step behind.

Following his advice, Ichigo crouched in front of the wooden storage object and opened it slowly, mentally preparing for what he would find inside. As his eyes landed on the contents, he couldn't help but ease his expression and smile fondly as he picked an old photo album and started flipping a few pages. He stopped on a picture that showed him with his family. Yuzu was smiling brightly next to Karin who was more reserved with her smirk, but still held a happy demeanor. Behind them, it showed Ichgo and his father who, predictably, were at each other's throat. Ichigo remembered the event, his loon of a father wanted to show just how happy of a family they were and wanted to surprise hug everyone just before the picture was taken. Fortunately, Ichigo sensed that goat chin was about to do something and reacted and punched him in the face as he started lunging at them. The image did a good job of portraying everyone's expressions. They did thing of doing another one, but his sisters decided against it, saying that this one represented their family perfectly. And now, looking at it in the photo album, Ichigo couldn't agree more. The rest of the objects in the chest were the same, photo albums and objects that held pleasant memories to Ichigo.

The room was quiet for a while as Ichigo silently looked through the chest. Urahara was still behind him, his hands resting on his cane, a familiar smile on his face. He was calmly waiting for the teenager to finish with his trip to memory lane.

"Hey, Urahara-san." Kisuke heard the other Shinigami address him slowly. "You said that everyone was fine, but what are they doing? Are they still in Karakura or did they move? Are they still...?" Ichigo trailed off with the last question, not comfortable enough to voice it. He was aware that all his friends and family were human and that half a century was a long period of time if you weren't a spirit.

The blond haired man understood his question and replied. "You want to know what everyone's doing. I can tell you that, but it will have to be brief since like I said before, knowing too much from the future could cause a time paradox and that is something we don't want." Ichigo nodded in understanding which made the shopkeeper smile before he pulled out his fan and started waving it.

"Very well, in that case let me start by saying that all your friends are still alive. To start off, Ishida-san moved to Tokyo where he attended a prestigious University and became a successful doctor. He also opened a fashion brand during the middle of his career, his clothing line is selling even today. Inoue-san remained in Karakura where she opened a bakery. I know what you think of Inoue-san's cooking, but some of her recipes were surprisingly good and were recognized by renowned chefs from Japan. They even opened several more bakeries throughout Japan. As for your friend, Arisawa-san, she won the National Martial Arts Championship for nearly a decade before she retired and opened a dojo herself in Karakura. I should mention that it is one of the best dojos in the country, managing to get top positions at every event. Sado-san on the other hand traveled the world quite a bit and even spent a few years in Mexico, before he returned and settled in Tokyo. He worked at a gym until he retired."

Ichigo nodded ah he heard all this. I seemed that all his friends managed to make good paths in their lives. He smiled, they were safe and happy, even in this world that was threatened by aliens. He couldn't ask for more.

"Next off, your family. Starting with your sisters, Yuzu-san moved to Tokyo where she began hosting a cooking program. Inoue-san was one of her main guests at the show, I remember watching them a few times as they cooked together. Karin-san on the other hand pursued the path of a football player. She's actually settled in Korea now." Kisuke informed the substitute, making him blink in surprise. His sister lived in a foreign country? "Yes, she played for quite a few teams during her years of activity, her last team being from Korea where she fell in love with another football player. As for your father." Urahara paused as he raised his head a bit, but not enough to see his eyes from the darkness from under his hat. "He continued working at the clinic for a couple of years. Now, he is in Soul Society." The shopkeeper finished quickly.

Ichigo's eyes widened a bit as his mouth opened slightly in shock. It took a few moments for the substitute to absorb the words, but he calmed down and gazed at his feet, a somber expression on his face. His lips eventually twitched upwards in a sad smile as he raised his head and regarded the blond Shinigami. "I see, thank you Urahara-san." A small silence took reign of the room as neither males said anything for a minute.

"So what about me?" Ichigo asked, looking slightly to the side at the moment.

"You mean the future you?" Kisuke questioned, before he started shaking his head. "I'm afraid that I can't tell you anything about yourself, the risk is too high. Believe me, it's better if you know nothing about your future self. The only advice he gave was for you to attend West Genetics, he said that's all you need to know." That was all the shopkeeper said as he observed the teenager's reaction.

Ichigo only released a breath and nodded, accepting the answer. He was expecting something like this, while he might have not know exactly what side effects the shopkeeper was talking about, he could guess that going to the past with knowledge of the future could cause some serious changes and the outcome might not be a favorable one.

"But I can help you get up to date with your studies here." Kisuke spoke jovially, his voice drenched in amusement as he started waving his fan. The sudden change in personality didn't surprise the substitute, he could easily tell that the other man took on amore eccentric tone to try and cheer him up. It surprised him a little, but he appreciated it.

"If you would be kind enough to check inside your desk." Kisuke raised his hand and pointed his cane at the wooden roll top next to the chest.

Curious, Ichigo approached the table and opened one of the drawers. He blinked as he found a few files and what looks like a miniaturized DVD and there were many of them. He shifted his gaze at Kisuke again. "What are all these?" Ichigo asked as he picked up a few and started shuffling through them.

"Those are recordings with footage from all of the Nova Clashes since the first one and those files contain reports with all information we gathered on Novas, such as classifications, types, abilities, patterns, places they attacked and everything that can give mankind an edge. I'm sure you can find the knowledge to your use and together with the classes you'll take, you'll be able to understand what humanity is facing at the moment." Kisuke sorted a few of the files and took the recordings to the shelf across the bed. Pressing a few buttons, a screen appeared from the ceiling and he showed Ichigo how to use it to see the recording and other videos.

"And on top of the desk I procured you all the materials needed for you to catch up. It also has several older tests that you can use to get an idea of what they're going to question you about. As far as your physical tests are concerned, I'm sure you'll be able to ace them. You had enough training to pass the trials even with your human body. As you are now, thanks to the 'improvements' I gave you, you should breeze past them." Kisuke informed him.

The substitute nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that's also something I wanted to talk with you about." Ichigo stared straight at the blond man, his features serious and scowl firm in place. "The first is about my powers. When these Nova things attack, am I supposed to jump in a fight and give it my all or should I hold back until they really need my help? From what I heard from both you and the lady principal, Limiters aren't actually doing any fighting, you mentioned them using a Freezing field to help the Pandoras, but no actual combat." Thanks to his experience as a Shinigami, Ichigo learned that information was important when dealing with enemies and sometimes, even allies. It was because his own lack of knowledge that he allowed himself to be tricked by Ginjou.

The shopkeeper nodded, happy that Ichigo had paid attention to the details in their conversation. "It's as you say, Kurosaki-san. A Limiter's only role is to support his Pandora partner using their Freezing field to neutralize the Nova's field. They are unable to bond with the stigmata as efficiently as a Pandora and thus, they gain no increase in abilities from the Ereinbar Set, only the ability to use Freezing. Pandoras on the other hand are compatible with the stigmata and can draw power from them to increase their abilities and materialize a Volt weapon. The increases include strength, speed, agility, perception and I'm also firm believer that it also increases killing intent as well as instincts to a degree. All in all, Pandoras are considered superhuman because of their strength. But that's not to say that the Limiters are not as important. The Freezing field itself is an anomaly, one that we have very little knowledge about. I do have my own theories and suspicions, but I would need to consult them with Aoi Gengo first before I can make such claims." The blond haired man finished as he began running through his many ideas inside of his head, a habit he's developed for centuries, ever since his interest in science was first peaked.

"Aoi Gengo?" Ichigo repeated the foreign name confused. He vaguely remembered the name being used in Kisuke's earlier talk with the headmistress, but no other detail regarding it were mentioned.

Kisuke was all too happy to explain the famous personality to the substitute. "Doctor Aoi Gengo, the man who developed the entire Pandora system. It was his genius that gave birth to mankind's only means of fighting against the Novas and he is the head researcher at Chevalier. It was only because of him that humanity survived as much as it did until today."

Ichigo smirked in amusement and decided to use this opportunity to poke fun at the blond haired man. "Wait, so you're not the big leader in all this? I thought you founded the Research and Development Institute in Soul Society. I would have expected someone of your caliber could do the same in the Living World. That's pretty sad, to be outdone by a human." Technically, he was a human as well, but that didn't matter at the moment.

"Don't be ridiculous Kurosaki-san!" Urahara exclaimed in a fake scandalized voice. "Aoi Gengo is a man of high prestige, only someone of his caliber can build and govern such technology. I am but a mere humble and handsome shopkeeper, the most I did was improve the overall project here and there, nothing on the scale of Dr. Aoi's success." While that was true, he left out that his improvements proved valuable as they fixed most of the issues the great doctor had with the stigmata tissue. It was a minor detail still, the orange haired boy could go on without knowing it.

The teenager only rolled his eyes as he listened to the shopkeeper. "Humble, sure." Was Ichigo's bored reply, sarcasm not missing from his tone. "You still didn't answer my question." He reminded Kisuke blatantly.

"I was getting to that Kurosaki-san, before you interrupted me midway." Kisuke countered amiably, the barest tint of amusement present in his smile. His only response was a shrug of the younger boy's shoulders. "As I was saying, there are many theories and mysteries regarding the Freezing field that we have yet to unravel, but I'm positive there's more to it than we believe. We only need to research until we discover something."

Kisuke paused briefly as he eyed Ichigo up and down. A sudden odd motion that unnerved the boy a bit. "Now, about your question. For now it would be best if you were to maintain a low profile. Should there be a Nova attack refrain from engaging in direct combat, it would be hard to explain how a supposed 'Limiter' is capable of trading blows with a Nova that no normal Pandora can match." Kisuke informed him as his expression became grim.

"Wait." Ichigo was quick to respond. "Are you telling me stay to the side and watch how people get hurt or worse as they fight for their lives and expect me to do nothing? Sorry Hat-n-Clogs, but that's something I won't do." He concentrated a glare at his mentor and argued his point, his brown eyes reflecting the light from the room in a steel like resolve. "If there's a fight going on in front of me I'm not going to stay back if someone's going to get hurt, so you can forget about me doing that." Ichigo said decisively, his will set it stone and ready to fight the shopkeeper if he decided to change his mind.

However, Kisuke took no such action. He merely gave him what he assumed was a proud look. "And I'm not expecting you to stay behind either. I said to refrain from 'direct' combat, you can join the fight if you remain hidden and make sure you stay out of sight."

Reducing the intensity of his stare, Ichigo's expression shifted to a frown. Fighting from the shadows? That totally wasn't his style. "So let me get this straight, you want me to help the Pandoras, but you want me to be unseen? You know the way I fight Hat-n-Clogs, stealth isn't exactly my first option when it comes to fighting, nor my preferred one." The teenager replied evenly, fully aware that the shopkeeper knew how he usually fought, heck he was the one who trained him.

Kisuke smiled at his comment. "Yes, I am aware of that. It's going to be hard, but please endure it for a few months. I'm trying my best to come up with a solution for your case without having every scientist from Chevalier after you trying to dissect you should you display your abilit-" He was interrupted by a surprised cry from the substitute.

"Dissect?!" Ichigo nearly screamed as his eyes widened like dinner plates, a fearful expression possessing his face, his muscles unconsciously tensing in anticipation for a surprise attack. They were going to cut him up like a lab rat if they were to find out about his powers? Sure, he could see how a normal human would find his powers extraordinary, but that sounded a bit too extreme.

Urahara smiled amusedly, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "Perhaps, I can't know for sure. Some of the scientists from Chevalier are quite peculiar, I can't predict what course of action they'll take if they were to lay their eyes on someone like you." The shopkeeper had to keep the urge to laugh out loud at the expression his old disciple was making, this latest info seems to have drained all the color from his face given that it vaguely resembled a shade of sickly blue. Nevertheless, he decided to encourage him so he started waving his hand and confidently declared. "But don't worry Kurosaki-san, I'll do everything I can so that it won't come to that."

His words gave Ichigo some comfort as he was able to exit his previous state, though he still looked slightly disturbed. "I hope so, I don't feel like becoming the interest of some guys that could pass for Kurotsuchi Mayuri's relatives." Ichigo complained as he slightly shivered at the thought of being at the mercy of someone as crazy as the 12th Division's current Captain.

Chuckling at the teenager's words, the shopkeeper resumed their conversation. "So as I was saying. Try to maintain a low profile for now, and if you do intervene in a fight remember to remain out of sight. Oh, and if things get really complicated, I'll trust your judgment to make the right decision." Kisuke instructed.

"We'll see." Ichigo replied simply, neither agreeing with the proposal, nor refusing it. "Alright, that answers that, but I still have another question." Ichigo informed the shopkeeper, gaining his full attention once again.

"Sure Kurosaki-san, what is it?"

Crossing his arms at his chest, the substitute regarded the older man seriously. "It's about Soul Society actually. If these Novas are as dangerous as you make them to be and if they already killed many humans during the years, how come the Gotei 13 didn't intervene to stop them? Shouldn't they have done something the moment these things appeared?"

The shopkeeper didn't answer for a few moments, the happy mood around his form disappeared as he gave his answer. "Not necessarily Kurosaki-san." Urahara spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion as if he were stating the weather on the local news channel. "The Gotei 13 only handle matters that concern the Spirit World or they act simply to cover their tracks like that time with the Bounts. These Nova Clashes on the other hand don't fall under those classifications and are considered a natural...process of the world, if you will, one that must take its course."

"What? But you said that many people have already died fighting this things. Are they really going to leave things like this?" The young spirit fighter asked, slightly surprised that the organization in charge of the Afterlife didn't intervene in this matter.

Kisuke only shock his head. "People have already died and will continue to die during earthquakes, storms, tornadoes, epidemics, wars and other disasters. Humanity has to go through its own trials, the actions of the living world are nothing but natural events that mankind must overcome on its own. It's the same thing with this Nova invasion, a crisis of the Living World, unaffiliated in any way with the spiritual domain. All Soul Society can do is perform their basic duty of konsoing the souls of those who have lost their lives and prevent them from undergoing hollowification or being hunted down by hollows."

Hearing the reasoning, Ichigo's scowl intensified as he processed what he had heard. Yeah, he could understand the logic behind Soul Society's lack of action, but that didn't mean that he had to like it. He doubted all of his friends from the Gotei 13 were okay with this, but he figured that to them this was just like any other disaster from the Living World. Realizing that getting worked up over this was pointless, Ichigo just released a breath and accepted the situation.

"So what about you?" He questioned the ex-captain. "How come you're involved into this humanity saving plan? Shouldn't you be doing the same as Soul Society and ignore this whole thing?"

Regaining his good mood, a smile reclaimed the lips of the green garbed male. "It's quite simple, I'm not part of Soul Society, I inhabit the Living World and have been doing so for over a century. I've been a part of it since our exile so it's only fair to think of it as my current home and thus, I'm not bound by the same rules as an official Shinigami. Besides, it's only natural to try and protect your home, I'm sure you understand that." Kisuke told the substitute, making him remember that he too fought for Karakura when it was needed. That was his home, the place where he, his family and his friends lived, it was a given he's protect it with his life. He could understand the older Shinigami's motives, their goals were similar in that regard.

Waving his fan in amusement, Urahara jovially added. "Also, if we were to allow these Novas to do as they please, it would be bad for business. We can't have that, now can we?" The slight joke made the substitute shake his head in disbelief at the shopkeeper's antics, but he gave an amused smile nonetheless.

"Yeah, sure. Anything else I should know while I'm here? About the Novas or the school?" Ichigo asked in hope of gaining as much information as possible. If he was going to spend his next few months stuck in here, he figured he might as well make the best of it and take his studying seriously.

"Other than what I told you, make sure you try your best in classes, follow what your cheaters tell you and just be careful. My number is in your phone, I took the liberty of adding it to your list myself. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how technology works today, believe me, with the Nova threat there wasn't as much progress as you would expect. It will take some getting used to, but I'm sure someone as young as you will get the gist of it pretty quickly." Urahara replied, fully confident in Ichigo's abilities.

Ichigo nodded, but didn't say anything. He couldn't call himself a person who was into the technology and the latest trends connected with it, but he knew enough to pass as average, perhaps a bit higher than that. He hoped Kisuke's trust would be founded.

Kisuke continued on with the conversation. "If you encounter any trouble, do not hesitate to call me at any time. I'm more than willing to hear you out about any trouble and offer my help should you require it. Even if it's only for advice, please, do not refrain from reaching me out. I'm willing to help you in any way I can." The shopkeeper offered happily.

Ichigo blinked, a bit surprised by this sudden declaration. Hearing him offer his help like this was a bit strange coming from the shopkeeper, but not unwelcomed. Honestly, he could say that it was a pleasant surprise.

Reaching in one of his pockets, the blond male started searching for something. "Before I forget, I have something to give you." Pulling out a blue card, he handed it to the teenager. "A little something for you to use for your needs and expenses. There's enough on this for everything you need, so don't refrain from using it whenever you wish, alright?"

Taking the plastic object in his hand, Ichigo stared at if a few moments before he shifted his gaze to the blond shopkeeper. "Alright, what gives?" Ichigo asked seriously, a hint of confusion imbedded in his expression.

"I beg your pardon?" Was the puzzled reply of the older male, his head slightly tilting to the side.

"You helping me out this much." Ichigo clarified. "It's nice and all, but it's kinda unlike you. Normally you'd just tell me what to do, throw me straight in the middle of the problem and leave me to fend for myself. What you're doing now, it just feels weird somehow." He could remember it, those times when Urahara sent him and his friends to Soul Society and Hueco Mundo respectively, he just provided the 'door' for them, the fighting and life risking deals were all them.

The green clad man smiled briefly, remembering said events, a slight feeling of nostalgia reaching him. "You have nothing to worry about Kurosaki-san. This time I'll give you my full support, I'm not going to leave you to fight alone against the Novas. And that is a promise, whatever you need Kurosaki-san I'll do my best to make sure to be there for you."

Ichigo could only stare incredulously at the shopkeeper, unable to hide his surprise, but definitely impressed by his oath. "Wow, thank you Urahara-san." He was a bit lost on how to respond, he never expected the older Shinigami to behave in such a manner, he supposed time really did pass after all.

"You have nothing to thank me for Kurosaki-san. Believe me, it's my pleasure. Also, don't be a stranger from now on Kurosaki-san, we've been through a lot together and I'd like to think of you as one of my good friends. Provided of course that you agree as well...Ichigo." Urahara ended on a pleasant note, the use of the substitute's given name as a sign of his trust in the younger Shinigami.

Silence took over the room as Ichigo stared at the shopkeeper with wide eyes once again, only that this time, it was for an entirely different reason. Slowly, but surely, the teenager's lips twisted upwards in a genuine smile. "Sure...Kisuke." He answered honestly.

The scientist's smile widened visibly. "Very well then. I do believe that it's time to take my leave now, Regretfully, I cannot stay anymore." He informed the substitute and started making his way towards the door, stopping in at the frame to bid his goodbyes to his old student. "We'll see each other later Ichigo. For now I have to return to Karakura to attend some important matters. In the meantime, try to give it your all and stay safe. Oh, and there's a present I left for you in the drawer of your desk. Be sure to check it. Until next time." And with that, the shopkeeper departed from Ichigo's room.

Giving a parting of his own, Ichigo stared at the retreating form a few more moments before closing the door and entering his room. Damn, he had to admit to himself, Kisuke outdid himself with this one. The apartment was very nice and quite luxurious , the shopkeeper didn't hesitate when it came the quality of the furnishing and equipment. He was definitely going to like it here, at least until he returned to his time that is.

He sure missed the past and the friends and family he left behind, but he might as well enjoy this 'accident' as well. With that out of the way, a hazard thought made its way to Ichigo's mind as he decided to check out the present that Kisuke left behind.

Opening the drawer, he saw a small box wrapped decoratively like a Christmas present. Tearing the paper, he unfolded it and took out square object. Upon noticing what it was, his face burst into a furious shade of red as he threw the pack of condoms to the other side of the room.

"Kisuke!" His scream could be heard from sister Margaret's office.

**xxx **

Exiting the complex, Urahara took the way back to sister Margaret's office, his footsteps echoing on the concreted sidewalk. He wore a pleased smile on his face, his earlier talk with the orange haired boy and the strengthening of their friendship brought him joy.

And speaking of the freshly enrolled student of West Genetics, it should happen anytime now...

"Kisuke!" The scream pierced through the skies and was clearly heard by the older Shinigami. Nearby students were slightly startled by the sudden outburst and were looking in the direction of the source with confused expressions.

Chuckling to himself, Urahara stopped momentarily to enjoy the rush he got from hearing that reaction before resuming his walk. "As predictable as always, Ichigo." He let a comment slip from his lips, addressed to no one in particular.

Musing over the boy's initial reaction at his help, he acknowledged that the past him did indeed act in the manner the substitute described. But that was the in the past, he wasn't going to do the same this time. The scowling boy was almost like a family member to him, no different than Yoruichi, Tessai, Jinta and Ururu. His presence too is going to bring drastic changes to the current time, at the very least, his aid against the extraterrestrial beings will play a vital role in the war mankind was currently partaking.

Ever since he first met Ichigo, he knew that the boy would play an important role in the future, the shopkeeper himself trained him to nurture the vast potential he possessed. Before his very eyes, the boy continued getting stronger, taking on a more powerful foe every time he entered a fight and emerging victorious every time. But his strength wasn't the main attribute of the orange haired boy, it was his iron like determination to protect his loved ones, his unmoving to take on the impossible and keep fighting until victory is achieved. This skill alone was the reason why Ichigo was able to take on stronger opponents and defeat them. A stubbornness so strong that threatened to reach the point of idiocy, backed up by his latent abilities and fueled by the desire to help those dear to him.

This was the very definition of Kurosaki Ichigo in the shopkeeper's opinion. Knowing this only strengthened his conviction to help the boy.

"Fear not Ichigo, no matter what will happen you won't be alone, that is a promise." Urahara swore to himself, a few distant memories reaching him as events from the past started flashing in front of his eyes. "A promise that I've made many years ago." Saying nothing more, the rest of his walk was a silent one.

**xxx**

After that stunt with the condoms, Ichigo cursed the shopkeeper and went to unpack his things and get settled in the room. Luckily for him, he didn't have many things to sort, given that all he had were the things Kisuke gave him and some other clothes he found in the dresser. Like last time, the wardrobe resembled his preferred style, the only things out of place being the uniforms he would have to wear at the Genetics facility. He frowned slightly at them, the colors it bore were hideous. The ones he used at his high school in Karakura were leagues above these.

Finishing with the clothes, Ichigo inspected the rest of the apartment. As expected, the bathroom was fully stocked with washing supplies and other objects for his personal hygiene, his room too was also fitted with everything he could need, his friends made sure of that and he appreciated it.

Searching through his duffle bag he found the phone Urahara gave him, he supposed it would be useful despite not knowing anyone in the current time. As proof of that, upon opening the phone, which wasn't as hard as he expected, Ichigo stumbled across his Contact List and the only saved number was that of the annoying blond haired man. Gazing at it, he wondered briefly if he should try and reach out to his friends or family, but decided against it in the end. It would be too unfair to them, not to mention too painful for himself, to see them now. He will let them live their lives peacefully and safely.

He shacked his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. Playing with the device, Ichigo distracted himself long enough for the guilt in his gut to recede. Spending another hour aimlessly using the phone, he lazily put it on the night table to his right .

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Ichigo released a breath as he started focusing his reiatsu and outstretched his right hand. Vaguely glowing a shade of light blue, a familiar sword appeared in the hand of the substitute. Bringing it a bit closer to him, he started examining it, absorbing its every feature and imprinting the details in his memory.

He couldn't deny it, this really was his zanpakutou. The Arabian design (he was actually a bit curious where that came from) and small ornamentations, like the chain at the hilt, were just as he remembered them. Taking the edge in his hand, he analyzed the blade by lightly trailing it and touching it with his fingers. He didn't know what Kisuke did to him, but the metal it was summoned with felt as though as its spiritual counterpart. Even more, the sword felt just like Zangetsu. It seemed that the strange pill he swallowed really did bring out all his Shinigami powers. Releasing another breath, he dematerialized his blade, almost an instinctual act, and boredly looked around the room.

Glancing at the clock, he saw that it had gotten pretty late, the trip and discussions with both the principal and the shopkeeper taking more time than expected. He was hungry, but didn't feel like venturing out to find the cafeteria (he assumed that there would be one) when it wasn't that much time until it would become dark outside. Fortunately for him, there was a small fridge in his room, unfortunately, it only had some snacks, sodas and some water. He supposed he could last tonight with only these, but tomorrow he would have to get a proper meal.

All that was left now is to figure out what to do with the rest of his time. It was still too early for him to turn in for the night. "Might as well read a bit about these Novas." Deciding that gaining some information about the alien invaders was his best idea, Ichigo began carrying it out as he got off of his bed, went to the desk and started searching through the files that Kisuke left him.

**xxx**

The next morning, the orange haired teenager woke up at the sound of his alarm clock, a strange mix of orchestral and rock song that he selected. He felt a headache as he lazily got up and started rubbing his still closed eyes.

List night he had read quite a bit about humanity's greatest enemies. He was surprised to find out that the 1st Nova Clash actually took place in 2012 around the time when he fought the Winter War against Aizen and his army arrancars. Pressing on with his research, he managed to find out a few basic things about the Nova classifications and each type's abilities. He also quickly flipped through a report of the 2nd Nova Clash, the numbers of casualties listed almost making him put the file down. Kisuke wasn't kidding, the Novas have really done a number against mankind.

He didn't get to read much else since he also succeeded in watching some footage of the first Clashes. They were blurred, but at least the orange haired boy now knew how a Nova roughly looked like. He didn't think much of their shape, just that they were huge like Gillians were. He also figured that he'd also watch the rest of the material as time went by, since he would also be learning about Pandoras and Limiters during classes, he decided not to burn himself too much on the subject.

And speaking of classes, the substitute yawned lazily, opening his eyes and glancing at the display of his phone. It read 7:20 in the morning. He squinted for a moment or two, before both his eyes widened immensely, instantly awake due to this discovery.

"What the hell? I overslept?" He asked himself. Realizing that he now had less than 40 minutes to get to class and that he didn't know his way at all around this place, he took off to get ready for the day at Accel speeds.

After only 10 minutes, his figure bolted out of the Boy's Dorm, running at a pace that would rival a professional athlete. "Crap, I'm gonna be so late!" As tempted as he was to use a Shunpou to find his way around, he had to follow the shopkeeper's advice and pose as a regular Limiter, that meant to limit himself at the abilities of his human body. It wasn't all bad though, thanks to his training he was in great shape, pretty much in peak physical form, the sudden availability of his spiritual powers only increasing its efficiency. Though he still had to restrict himself willingly, the added stamina was a welcomed prospect.

Of course, that still didn't make his current problem any easier. For all his speed, he still had no idea where to go to in hopes of finding someone who could point him in the right direction to go. It was only a sign of luck that he managed to find a map next to the sidewalk. Upon inspecting it, he managed to form some idea on his bearing.

"I've been going the wrong way? Shit!" Exclaiming loudly, he took off again in what he hoped was the right direction. Checking the time, he noted that he had about 15 minutes to get to his destination. Oh he was definitely going to have someone, maybe a another guy from the dorm or even a teacher, tell him how to find his way around the place. Why do all these important things have to be so big?

Almost close 8:00 AM, the substitute reached, what looked to be like, the Academy's campus. It was a good sign, but he still had to find the classroom. Glancing around, he noted that, fortunately, there were still some students around, most of them hurrying to a main building. Figuring that it must've been the building where all classes are held, Ichigo entered as well. Hurrying on the hallway, he made to turn at the next corner only to crash into someone and fall.

Both victims grunted in pain.

Recovering quickly, Ichigo managed to get his bearings and see just who he crashed into. It was a boy, probably the same age or maybe a bit younger than him, with black hair and average built. "Crap. Are you alright?" The substitute asked, instantly on his feet, not affected by the crash in with the other male.

The raven haired teen in question wasn't as lucky as the orange haired Shinigami, the suddenness of the hit really threw him off and was still recovering from the dizziness. But slowly, he managed to regain his senses just as he heard a voice address him.

Opening his eyes, he came face to face with a rather menacing looking person. Just like many before him, the first thing his eyes saw was the male's fiery orange hair, his intense if slightly worried hazel eyes and then the rest of him. The person was another student, he appeared quite a bit taller than himself, but also a bit older. It must be one of his seniors, he remarked.

It was only a moment later that he registered his words and saw his extended hand. Rubbing his sore head slightly, he took the offered hand and replied. "Yeah, I think nothing's broken."

"That's good." The orange haired teenager released a breath. "Sorry about that, I'm trying to find my classroom and I have no idea where it is." The figure told him.

Kazuya blinked once as he heard him. "Classroom?" He pondered for a moment before he asked a question of his own. "Are you new?"

The other boy nodded. "Yeah, just got here yesterday and I really need to get to class." He replied hurriedly.

It soon dawned onto the dark haired teen that the rather intimidating person in front of him was the transfer student that everyone was talking about. He examined him quickly, so this was his new 3rd year senpai. Like stated before, he appeared a little menacing, but for all that appearance, he couldn't bring himself to feel scared by him, for some reason.

"I can tell you the way to class if you want." He offered with a smile, his polite nature kicking in.

"Really, that would be awesome."

The dark haired boy started giving direction. "Your classroom is Room 103 right?" Seeing his nod, he continued. "Just go straight this hall, take a right and go to the first floor on the stairs. Once there, go straight ahead and the third door is the class."

The substitute nodded in appreciation. "Thanks man, you're a lifesaver."

"My pleasure. By the way, my name is Aoi Kazuya." The dark haired Limiter extended his right hand.

Taking it in his own, the orange haired Shinigami shacked it. "Kurosaki Ichigo, nice meeting you." He introduced himself. Turning around, he started jogging in the pointed direction. "Thanks again. I'll see you around." And with that, his figure disappeared around the corner.

Kazuya stared a few more moments in the way the newly enrolled student went and started making his way to his own class, he didn't want to be late after all. So that was the transfer student that was making a fuss recently, it turned to be a Limiter, a 3rd year at that too. In a way, Kazuya could relate to him, he to transferred here not too long ago, though given what he's been through, it felt like years to the dark haired Limiter. He just hoped his new senpai would adapt well to the regime from the Genetics Academy, his beginning wasn't the most pleasant, but he wouldn't change it for anything in the world. It was because of it that he had met his blonde haired Pandora partner, the person he could sincerely say that he cherished the most.

He had better hurry to class though, if he started day dreaming about the British Pandora then he'd never get there on time.

A floor above him, the orange haired substitute was searching the hallway for his appointed room. Reaching the door the earlier boy pointed out, he glanced at it and saw the number written on it. It was '103', the class he was supposed to attend. He realized that he had reached his destination and released a breath as he calmed himself, his mind a bit more at ease. He just hoped the teacher would be a little late in getting there.

As the boy was easing his breath, he heard a slight tap on the floor, evidence that someone had stopped a few feet away from him. "Who are you?" Ichigo hear a female voice ask him. Looking at the source, he was greeted with the sight of the Pandora that guided him and Urahara to sister Margaret's office. And just like before, he couldn't help but notice just how well developed the pretty woman was.

Straightening himself, the boy ignored the view and instead opted to look at her straight before he addressed her. "I'm new here, Kurosaki Ichigo." He spoke clearly.

"The transfer student?" The buxom teacher, Yumi Kim questioned out loud. She remembered seeing the boy in front of him yesterday when he arrived with Dr. Urahara. So the famous doctor enrolled him into West Genetics. Seeing his nod, she quickly scanned his entire form. She had read the file she got about him from the headmistress, how the young boy in front of her was the nephew of the blond haired doctor and that he held potential to be a great Limiter.

"It looks like you had a bit of problem getting here." She commented as she saw him breath a bit heavier than normal. "But don't worry, you're not late. In fact, I'd say you arrived just on time. Follow me inside so that we can introduce you to everyone." With that, the dark haired Pandora went past him and entered the room. Ichigo was only a few steps behind.

**xxx**

Elizabeth Mably, the oldest heir of the prestigious Mably family prided herself with her punctuality. Unlike many students who make a fuss every morning and worry about being late or not being able to do their studies, she plans her time efficiently to handle all her duties with a calm and grace that earned the other Pandoras's respect and perhaps even envy. As a direct result of it, it was highly expected of her to be present in the classroom at least 10 minutes before they started.

Just like that, the 3rd Year British Pandora stood at her desk chatting amiably with her classmate and friend, Attia Simmons.

"So today we get to see to see for ourselves who this new transfer student is." Elizabeth spoke pleasantly, a note of elegance her tone enriched by her beautiful voice.

The silver haired Pandora nodded. "I guess so. What type of person do you expect this new Limiter to be?" She asked curiously, eager to see what her 'leader' thought of the mystery boy that would join their class. She personally hoped that he wasn't a pervert, other than that she believed she could handle everything else that could be thrown at her.

"I did some research last night on the scientist that Creo mentioned." She informed. "Based on the description we got, only one person fitted it, someone by the name of Dr. Urahara Kisuke."

"Urahara Kisuke?" Attia tilted her head to the side, repeating the unknown name in hopes of jogging her memory about this certain man. "I don't think I've heard of him before." She replied honestly.

Elizabeth only nodded, her good disposition not lessening one bit. "Completely understandable, I myself wasn't aware of him prior to last night's search. It appears that his personal life is kept a secret even from Chevalier. Other than his achievements and the theories and work he did with Chevalier, all I've managed to find was a brief description of him and some general information. In other words, other personal and detailed information regarding his is kept private."

"That doesn't really tell us much about this new Limiter." Attia grumbled quietly.

"No, it doesn't." Elizabeth agreed, resting her hands on the desk. "But like this, meeting the new Limiter will make for a more interesting experience. Think of it as a surprise, if you will." She wasn't in the least bit bothered by her lack of information, rather, she was intrigued. A mysterious Limiter that was related to an equally mysterious scientist would be their new classmate, she personally had expectations that the boy would turn out to be quite interesting.

"Morning Elizabeth." The happy, if slightly loud greeting made the blonde haired Pandora glance at the source of the voice. There, at the entrance of the classroom stood a red haired Pandora, one that she knew very well, Arnett McMillan, also known as the 'Mad Dog' of West Genetics due to her ferocity displayed in the Carnivals. She was smiling happily and was waving her hand in her direction.

"Good morning." A few steps back another Pandora, this time with short silver hair, greeted her in much calmer voice. Creo Brand, another one of her good friends at West Genetics.

Smiling in their direction, Elizabeth greeted them warmly.

"So what're you talking about?" Arnett approached the blond haired Pandora, taking the seat next to her and looking intently in her direction. Creo just took a seat behind Arnett, but was still paying attention to the discussion.

"Just the transfer student." Attia responded, a tint of frustration embedded in her tone. "Elizabeth tried scooping some information about him, but found nothing. So we have no idea what kind of guy he is."

"Transfer student?" Arnett questioned as she blinked. "Oh yeah, some Limiter transferred to our class yesterday." She exclaimed as she remembered the discussion they had yesterday. "So, there's nothing on him?"

Attia only shock her head.

Musing to herself, the redheaded Pandora spoke again. "Well that kinda sucks, but I guess it's more fun this way. Well get to see firsthand what kind of guy he is. Who knows, maybe he's the pretty boy gentleman type that will knock us off of our feet." She joked lightly.

"Perhaps, but he could also turn out to be the opposite of that. It's better if we welcome him with an open mind, that way there would be no disappointments." Elizabeth told everyone.

"That would be ideal." Creo commented.

"What about you Ingrid?" Arnett turned to look at the other red headed Pandora that stood quietly at the back of the class, her arms closed and her posture almost rigid. "What do you think of the new guy?" Her question was answered in a calmness that betrayed her indifference on the subject.

"I have no interest in this new Limiter. As long as he obeys the rules of West Genetics, I have no reason to get involve with him." She spoke simply.

Arnett could only release a breath at that response. While it's true that the 'Guardian of Order' has loosened up slightly, as direct result of her fight with Satellizer, her strict disposition still remained, albeit she did notice a more peaceful aura around her. It would probably take a while before she would act more freely, but she was heading in the right direction so she supposed that was a good thing.

And speaking of the 2nd Year bespectacled Pandora, after their fight and the party held a few weeks ago, Arnett had to admit that she saw the blonde Pandora in a different light. Sure, she still wanted to fight her and probably maybe take a bit of revenge for the beating she received, but she kinda wanted to talk with her more, maybe even become her friend. It was strange, but she felt that they could get along really well for some reason. Arnett hummed to herself at that thought, she'll have to think about this later.

"Alright then, I suppose will go with that." Attia conceded, going along with Elizabeth's proposal. "Class is going to start any second now, guess we should go to our desks." With that, she took her seat in front of Elizabeth and waited for Yumi-sensei to arrive so that they could start.

After a minute or two of waiting, the door finally opened and the buxom, dark haired instructor entered the class like always. A few feet behind her, a new figure followed. It was a fairly tall boy with spiky orange hair and brown eyes wearing the regular Limiter uniform.

Upon laying eyes on him, Arnett, who was resting her cheek in her palm, stood up as her eyes widened slightly. _"What the...?"_ She questioned mentally at the sight of him. What the hell was up with this guy's hair? It was orange for crying out loud. Orange. On top of that, he also wore a scowl on his expression, one that actually looked a bit menacing.

Arriving at her desk, Yumi turned to her students and addressed them loudly. "Good morning class. Before we begin our usual activities, there is an announcement I have to make. As you've probably seen, we have a new student that will be with us starting today." With that, she signaled the orange haired boy to introduce yourself.

The substitute was quick to comply. Taking a piece of chalk, he wrote his name on the black board in front of the class, a traditional Japanese custom. Finishing, he turned around and faced everyone. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. It's a pleasure meeting all of you." He bowed at his new classmates.

His new teacher nodded at his introduction. "Good, not take a seat wherever it's free so that we can begin."

Ichigo nodded and started heading to a free desk. As it was with all first days and introductions, student were whispering to themselves as e passed them.

"This is a Limiter? He's scary."

"Really, I think he's kinda cute."

"What the hell is up with that orange hair? What is he, some delinquent?"

"Mmm, yummy. He's exactly my type, I wonder if he'll mind if I show him around my room a bit."

Those were some of the comments that the substitute heard. Most of them annoyed him, though the last one in particular unnerved him slightly. He'd have to be careful around this place, it seemed that everywhere he went there was always some people who were going to make his life difficult for him.

He took a free seat next to the window and gazed through it. I seemed that it had a great view on the sports field. Right now, he could see some Pandoras running across it in what he assumed was an endurance race. Looking on the other side, he was greeted with the sight of a beautiful girl with long, red hair cascading down her shoulders. Her disposition on the other hand was cold and it reminded him of how Byakuya was before he had rescued Rukia. Despite being new, she made no move to acknowledge his presence. For some reason, Ichigo felt that they weren't going to be best of friends.

As Yumi-sensei started the lesson, he turned his head to the table and started taking notes.

**xxx**

After classes were done, as the other student got up and started making their way towards the exit, Ichigo stood back a bit and reread a sentence that he wrote during the lesson.

"'So, by using the implanted stigmata, a Limiter can perform an Ereinbar set by linking all 5 sense between him and his Pandora partner. This releases a special impulse from the brain that generates a signal at a certain frequency which acts as a catalyst and enables the Limiter to access the power of the transplanted stigmata and thus, they can use the ability known as 'Freezing'." The orange haired substitute stared at the definition for a few moments, his scowl furrowing noticeably. _"What the hell did that all mean?"_ He questioned inwardly. His lack of knowledge was obvious, he barely understood what the teacher was talking about for most of the time and there were some moments where he felt that she was talking in a different language. Now, Ichigo was by all means not a genius, but he did work hard to earn his position in the top 20 students at his high school. He wasn't about to get lazy now.

Cursing Kisuke, he got out of his seat and prepared to go get himself something to eat. He could worry about that later, right now all he wanted was a proper meal.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, come here for a moment." As luck would have it, he was called by his instructor and thus, delayed from his quest to quench his hunger. Begrudgingly, Ichigo complied and approached the desk of her sensei.

"Yes sensei?" He asked curiously.

"I've been told by sister Margaret to give you these." She handed him a paper. "This is a timetable with all your classes. I expect that you follow it seriously, I do not like tardiness." She spoke clearly, a few faint memories of her own time as a student flashing in her head.

The boy took them and nodded appreciatively, despite his annoyed expression.

"Also, sister Margaret also arranged an escort to show you around. Normally, you'd get one on the day of your arrival, but due to the suddenness of your visit, we couldn't arrange one yesterday. We've arranged for the Student Council President to handle your tour. She is also a 3rd year student like yourself. Due to her duties, she wasn't present during today's class, but she should be arriving soon. If you would please wait for her in the hallway, that would be appreciated."

"Alright." Ichigo responded and exited the classroom. Looking around, he saw that everyone had already left to do their things. Grumbling, Ichigo crossed his arms and rested his back on the wall next to the door of his classroom. After a about 5 minutes of waiting, he was starting to lose his patience, his stomach strongly agreeing with him.

"Ano, excuse me?" A pleasant, if a bit shy voice addressed him from his right.

Turning his head, he was greeted with the sight of a Pandora with long black hair that reached her back, wearing the regular Pandora uniform. Her expression was timid, her soft gray orbs were focused on some point on the floor, but appeared to be trying to make eye contact with him. Her arms were joined together at the hem of her skirt, fidgeting slightly in discomfort. _"Cute."_ The stray thought conjured inside Ichigo's mind. A few moments later, he mentally smacked himself for thinking such a thing right off the bat.

"Are you by chance the new enrolled student?" She asked again, mustering some courage.

Unclenching his arms, the substitute turned to her fully, relaxing his expression. "Yeah, I'm Kurosaki Ichigo." He smiled briefly at his introduction, hoping that it would ease the girl.

This action seemed to have the desired effect as the dark haired Pandora smiled timidly in his direction. "I'm Ticy Phenyl, it's nice meeting you Kurosaki Ichigo-kun."

Ichigo only raised his hand. "Just Ichigo is fine, never been one for honorifics." He informed, slightly noticing the way she introduced herself with her given name first and then her surname.

Ticy blinked in surprise before nodding. "Then, Ichigo-kun?" She tested the word slowly, getting the feel of it. What an odd name for a boy though, a 'strawberry' of all things.

The boy merely shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, if that's fine with you." He preferred to be called without the suffix, but from what he guessed the girl in front of him was the respectful kind and wasn't about to drop the suffix that easily.

"Very well. Like I said, I'm Ticy Phenyl, the Vice President of the Student Council. Unfortunately, the President was caught up with some trouble she had to solve immediately and couldn't greet you right away. She told me to escort you in her stead until she is finished with her problem, then she will join us so that you can meet her properly." She informed him, gaining a smidge of authority during her small speech. "So, I'll be showing you around for a bit, if you don't mind that it."

Ichigo made no gesture of displeasure at the news. "Sure, that's fine with me. So where to?" He asked curiously, waiting for the Pandora to show him around this maze of a place. He swore, if Kisuke had any hand when this Academy was built then he'd hit him only for the fact that he made it ridiculously huge.

With that out of the way, Ticy nodded in his direction and started walking with Ichigo in tow.

**xxx**

As it turned out, Ticy was quite a good guide. They had already visited many place in a short span of time. The dark haired 3rd Year Pandora had shown him most of the important facilities that were governed by West Genetics. One of those was the large building that resembled an arena, the dark haired Pandora informed him that it was the place where Carnivals were being held. Using the occasion he also asked what a carnival was. His answer was that a Carnival is basically a battle royal where Pandoras 'hunt' each other and fight to gain points. The more battles you win, the more points you gain and the higher rank you'll obtain as a direct result of your battles. Plus, it's a good way to improve or test your skills.

She had also shown him one of the training facilities that housed some Nova dummies. Ichigo got to see firsthand how a Freezing field, albeit an artificial one but still close enough to the real deal, looked and worked, he also got to see what kind of training simulations Pandoras go through and the different modes available for them to polish their individual skill.

The rest of their destinations weren't as impressive, unless of course you consider a cinema unimpressive. Though to be fair, compared to the coliseum sized arena, a normal cinema was nothing too special. The substitute was also guided through the main buildings where classes were held, the various gyms and finally the dorms. Apparently, the Girls and Boys dorm were close by in case a Pandora and her Limiter partner needed to meet urgently or had a problem that needed to be solved.

Another thing, it seemed that West Genetics had a small city nearby that was accessible via a train ride that only took 20 minutes. There he could visit shops, museums, expositions, concerts and other such things. The orange haired boy was quite attentive with his surroundings and noticed that most students, be them Pandoras or Limiters, greeted the Pandora accompanying him with kindly. She responded to their ovations with a smile and a wave of her hand.

Ichigo also noted that Ticy was a lot more open and comfortable with him than she was at the beginning. It seems that she had gotten used with his intimidating presence or she felt that it wasn't how he really was. Either way, she smiled pleasantly in direction as she discussed about some party that took place not too long ago. Now that he thought about it, she kinda reminded him of Orihime. She radiated kindness in a similar way to his auburn haired friend, though her aura was a bit more timid compared to Orihime's.

Still, he enjoyed her company, he could have done a lot worse as far as escorts could go. He briefly imagined someone like Keigo being his guide, he'd probably kick him every 5 minutes for constantly annoying him.

"Well, this covers most of the things I can show you." She informed him as they walked side by side on the road through a park, their next destination still somewhat of an unknown as Ticy recounted all the places they've been, trying to make sure that she hadn't missed anything.

"I suppose." Ichigo responded simply.

"The President still hasn't shown up yet." Ticy also said, a tint of worry in her tone. "I know she has a lot of work to do, but she's taking too long. I wonder is something happened to her." She looked to in the distance, a part of her hoping that the brown haired Pandora would show up and greet her warmly like always.

"I'm sure nothing happened to her." She hear the teenage boy next to her speak. "You said t yourself, there was a problem that needed taking care of so she went to handle it. Maybe the issue is a bit harder than anticipated so she's taking longer than expected or she's already finished and she's searching for us as we speak. "

The dark haired Pandora listened to his words and brightened up. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right." What the substitute said was true, Chiffon wasn't someone that couldn't handle a problem, she was the strongest Pandora at West Genetics.

"What do we have here?" A sweet if slightly enchanting voice was heard from behind the pair.

Turning around, the orange haired substitute was greeted with the sight of a girl with short dark blue hair, brown eyes and a sizable bust. She wore an alluring expression that made him feel that she was sizing him up like a predator that is a few feet away from its pray. Needless to say, he wasn't liking her presence that much, nor did he like the look of her company. Three Limiters, each prettier than the other, all of them smirking slyly as they looked ready to follow any order the new Pandora might issue. All things considered, the substitute didn't like the look of the group.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked coldly, his scowl intensifying at the newcomers.

The girl frowned at his comment. "My, what a rude thing to say to a lady. Were you not taught any manners?" But she soon reclaimed her smirk, interest not waning in the slightest. "I'm Kannazuki Miyabi, it's a pleasure meeting you."

Begrudgingly, the substitute responded with his own name, his honor code forcing him to an equal exchange of names. "Kurosaki Ichigo." He said simply, having no intention of saying more.

Giggling, the seductive Pandora turned at the boy's companion, eyes contorting into a glare. "Now tell me, why is someone like you hanging around such an ungraceful girl like her." She spoke heatedly, cruelty not missing from her tone. All of it being directed at Ticy.

The gray eyes Pandora flinched visibly as she brought her hand to her lips. "I'm just showing around since he is new." Her voice trembled over every word, a fact which pleased Miyabi, but pissed Ichigo off. It was obvious that Ticy was fearful of the other Pandora, the way she unconsciously took a step back and cowered in her presence was a dead giveaway.

"I see, then in that case you better step aside, I'll take it from here." Miyabi announced confidently.

Eyes widening, Ticy stammered her words. "B-but, the President entrusted me with the task to-" She didn't get to finish her sentence as the other Pandora directed another icy glare in her direction.

"Did you not hear me? I said I'll handle it from here." She disregarded everyone of her words and continued tormenting Ticy. "I can show him things you wouldn't even dream of doing. Step aside, now."

The black haired Pandora was rooted to the ground, she cursed her shy and timid nature for making her so cowardly. She knew that physically, she was stronger than the other Pandora, but she lacked the mental strength to do anything against her confident and aggressive personality.

But then, surprising both girl, Ichigo stepped defensively in front of Ticy blocking her view from the other Pandora. The long haired Pandora relaxed as she found herself looking at Ichigo's back rather than the menacing Pandora. She swallowed numbly as she regained her composure, her figure straightening and peaking from over his shoulder to watch the display in front of her.

"What are you doing?" The sultry Pandora questioned, all pleasantries gone from her voice.

"What does it look like?" Ichigo retorted with a question of his own, glaring fully at Miyabi now, his expression harboring not a single trait of fear. "Stopping you from bullying her any more. Now why don't we each go on our way an forget about this. I have no intention of changing Ticy with you as my guide." He declared strongly as he stood his ground.

"Foolish boy, do you not know who I am?" Anger seeped into Miyabi's voice as her hands clenched into fists, her eyes ready to murder him on the spot should he answer unfavorably.

The substitute was not impressed, he had faced monsters that could level cities in a single attack. There was no way some arrogant and self centered bitch like the one in front of him was going to scare him. "No and I don't want to know either." He spoke strongly, his instincts firing up in anticipation of an attack.

Shaking in anger, Miyabi revealed a murderous grin as she signaled for her Limiters. "Then you're about to find out. Don't worry though, I'll make sure you're not too bruised. I still need you for later." She licked her lips seductively, eyeing his form. The males spread around them, their forms ready to attack should their Pandora partner give them the signal.

As for the Pandora in question, she gracefully raised her hand. "I will teach you what happens to those who cross Kannazuki Miyabi." Within seconds, several daggers morphed in the empty space above her head and were hovering comfortably, as if unaware of the existence of gravity. They were aimed at the substitute, tip pointing forward, ready to launch themselves and pierce him like a doll.

Eyes narrowing slightly, Ichigo felt the anticipation building in his body as his right hand itched, a sign of his desire to summon his sword and annihilate the girl in front of him and the rest of the clowns around her in one swing. But he couldn't do that, Hat-n-Clogs told him to lay low and him starting to beat up students was the complete opposite of that. He had no choice but to search for another solution.

"What's going on here?" Another new voice, this one holding a good amount of authority broke the tense mood as everyone looked to identify the source of it. "I hope you aren't causing any trouble for the new student, Kannazuki Miyabi-san." Approaching the group at a steady pace was the Student Council President herself, Chiffon Fairchild.

The sultry Pandora narrowed her eyes at the brown haired newcomer, her mood clearly displeased by the arrival of the 'Monster' of West Genetics. She tried to appease her and put and innocent front. "Of course not, I was merely offering my services to the new student and suggested that I show him around the Academy." She spoke in a fake sugary voice that Ichigo could sense from a mile away.

Chiffon only smiled innocently at that. "I thank you for your generosity, but I believe that I already assigned the Vice President with this job. Or do you not believe that your Vice President is capable of handling such a task?" She asked pleasantly, not a single emotion escaping her voice, her eyes closed all the time, giving her a more convincing appearance.

Miyabi bit her lip and choked back a retort. "Of course not, I am well aware of her capabilities. Since it appears that there is no use for us here, we'll take our leave." At that command, her Limiters gathered around her and after bidding her goodbyes to Chiffon, she left with the rest of her male harem in tow.

The orange haired teenager relaxed slightly, luckily the issue was fixed before it could get out of hand. If things would have gotten too bad, he would have been forced to start fighting and give himself away, but the arrival of this new Pandora, the President as he heard, pretty much saved their hides. Still, he felt a twinge of satisfaction as he saw Miyabi retreat with her tail between her legs, her displeasure and ire easily recognizable.

"Are you alright Ticy?" The brown haired girl questioned, her expression at ease and smiling warmly in the direction of the other Pandora.

Ticy too smiled brightly, her previous fears dissolving the moment the President had arrived. "Yes, I'm fine President Chiffon. Thank you for the save." Her happiness could be sensed from everyone. The substitute saw that the dark haired girl was practically beaming. He was caught off guard by what an effect the new Pandora had on his guide.

"And you must be the new student. I apologize if she caused you any trouble, she's been a bit of a handful lately." She gave him an apologetic smile.

Seeing as he was addressed, the substitute responded. "It's fine. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo by the way." He introduced himself with a nod.

He expected her to return the gesture, but instead, the girl remained silent and was observing him. It was a bit unnerving how she could see him with her eyes still closed, but the old man from the Gotei 13 could do the same so he thought that it was a special talent or something. Whatever it was, it was making him feel uneasy in her presence. She calmly approached him and raised a hand to his face, a gesture which he followed closely, getting more and more confused by her actions.

After what seemed like a long time, which was only a second or two, her palm found his cheek and pressed gently on it, the contact sending jolts down Ichigo's spine. Unnerved, but still very conscious of his surroundings, the substitute tried searching her face for anything that would give away this odd behavior of hers. The only thing he saw was her curious, yet very much interested expression.

Then, abruptly, she broke contact and exclaimed gleefully. "Wow, your hair really is orange. And you're a strawberry as well." She burst into a fit of giggles as she struggled to control her mirth.

"Hah!?" Ichigo blanched, caught completely off guard by her reaction. What the heck was all that staring for? So that she could notice his hair color?

As if remembering her words, his scowl intensified as he made an annoyed expression. "My name doesn't mean 'strawberry', it means 'he who protects'." Really, he was getting pretty sick of people calling him like that. What did they think? That his parents were sadistic enough to name him after some fruit?

Calming herself, the brown haired Pandora responded. "I'm sorry, but I really couldn't help myself. Allow me to introduce myself." She replied after a pause. "My name is Chiffon Fairchild, Student Council President here at West Genetics. By now, I'm sure you're well acquainted with the Vice President, Ticy." Seeing him nod she continued. "I do apologize for being late, there was this really urgent matter that I couldn't postpone and it took longer than I anticipated as well. I really wish I would've been there to properly greet you." She apologized.

Ichigo only raised his hand. "No worries, I get it. It's better to handle your problems as quick as possible before they become a pain in the neck." A lesson Soul Society should take once in a while, he noted to himself as he remembered the Bount and the Mod Soul incidents.

"Exactly so." Chiffon agreed, happy that her guest wasn't angry. "If there is no problem, I will join you and Ticy in your tour of West Genetics. Is there somewhere in particular you want to go to?"

At that moment, Ichigo remembered that he hadn't eaten yet. Might be as good time as any. "Yeah, is there a cafeteria around?"

"Yes, it's pretty close actually. Shall we head there?" Seeing his nod, the decision was made. "Let's go then."

**xxx**

Ichigo's eyes widened probably for the hundredth time that day as he was greeted with the sight of some very exquisite culinary pleasantries. Famous restaurants from all over the world were open for everyone to enjoy, the substitute even recognized a one or two from his own time. they survived for nearly half a century? That was impressive by anyone's standards. Still, most of them seemed a bit to extravagant for the orange haired teenager, so he settled for something more casual, like Burger Queen.

"Are you sure you're fine okay eating from here?" Chiffon asked curiously, her hands joined at her back her body leaning a bit forward to the boy. "Ticy or I can recommend you some very good places that serve good food and aren't very expensive." The dark haired Pandora agreed silently from behind as she stood behind the President in the waiting line.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Besides I'm a bit curious to see how good the stuff they have is." Not really a lie since he was genuinely anxious to see if fast food got better after all this time. He remembered some the discussions that were held regarding health and how fast food wasn't good for it. The fact that they lasted this long and that they were still famous, judging by the length of the crown, gave the substitute some hope that something changed for the better.

Chiffon only nodded as she stood behind him in the line. She had no problem eating from the famous fast food restaurant, but it wasn't a preferred place if she were honest. But, she would be a good host and go along with the new Limiter.

As Ichigo was mentally cursing the long crowd for taking so long, seriously, he had been waiting for nearly 15 minutes and it didn't seem like he would get his order very soon. Lost in thought, he nearly missed someone shouting the words 'Untouchable Queen' and in a matter of moments, the crowd dissolved from his eyes, leaving a straight path to the cashier.

"What the...?" He blinked in surprise. Where had everyone gone? Not really understanding the situation, he just shrugged and started advancing or would have had Chiffon not grabbed his arm. He turned to look at her, waiting to know why she stopped him.

"What are you waiting for?" Chiffon said in an alarmed tone, next to her Ticy wasn't in much better shape if her trembling and fearful expression were anything to go by. "The Untouchable Queen will be here to get her order any moment now." She told him, her explanation being enough for any other Limiter to get the message.

Unfortunately, Ichigo wasn't like any other Limiter so his response to all this was a simple "Who?"

Both Pandoras accompanying him were astonished by his lack of information. Didn't he hear about the troublemaking blond haired Pandora that feared to be touched? As much as she felt the need to explain the situation, Chiffon decided to delay the explanation and settle for an escape.

"Never mind now. Quick, we must get away before she comes."

And as though summoned by her sentence, a pair of footsteps could be heard on the pavement, a sign of an approaching figure. The trio looked behind them and saw, much to Chiffon and Ticy's terror, that the 2nd Year British Pandora that was well know in the Academy, making her way to her favorite restaurant.

"Ichigo, we must leave now! We cannot get in the way of Satellizer-san and her food, that's like volunteering for a whole world of pain that will lead to a slow and agonizing death." Chiffon urged as she started pulling his hand, without much success as the substitute wasn't as easily movable as she first thought. True, she wasn't using any of her monstrous power when doing this action, but it was a little surprising that the male wasn't at least struggling in her hold. Ticy on the other hand chose to hide behind the orange haired teenage, putting him between her and the approaching Pandora. If her attention wasn't so focused on the El Bridget heir, she would've notice how safe she felt in the presence of the boy.

Scowling, Ichigo turned to look at the girl that his two companions were making a racket about. As far as he could tell, she looked like a regular teenage girl. An extremely beautiful one, with cascading blonde hair, enchanting blue eyes that were hidden by a pair of semi rimmed glasses which only accentuated her beauty and a very curvaceous body, all while wearing an oddly shaped red outfit that brought out her breasts. Other than the choice in clothing she looked pretty normal in his opinion.

A fact that he soon voice out. "Look, I don't get what all this fuss is about, but I'm sure she won't mind waiting in line like the rest of us ." He told his two guides who were acting completely out of it in the presence of the blonde girl.

The most shocking fact however wasn't that the boy completely disregarded their warnings and apparently had a death wish. No, what truly left Chiffon and Ticy speechless was the fact that the blond haired Pandora, Satellizer el Bridget, agreed with his words, if her nod was anything to go by.

With that sorted, Ichigo advanced past the gaping Pandoras and went to order. Silently, both 3rd Year Pandoras followed him. As they paid for their food and took the bags, they made room for the other customer to give her order as well.

"Satellizer-senpai!" A loud voice broke the silence as Ichigo and the rest watched the entrance.

A dark haired boy, the one that helped Ichigo in the morning, was rushing towards their location.

"Kazuya?" The British Pandora asked in a surprised voice, not expecting her partner to suddenly appear and call out for her. When he got close enough, she voiced her confusion. "What are you doing here?" Taking her bags, she turned to look fully at the dark haired Limiter.

Beaming, the Aoi heir answered. "I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner together with me?"

Eyes widening ever so slightly, a blush rose to the girl's face as she smiled shyly. "Okay." Was her simple response, a response that brought great happiness to the Kazuya.

Proud with his accomplishment, it was only then that the dark haired boy noticed the other members. Seeing that all of them were his senpais, he quickly went to greet them. "Good afternoon Chiffon-senpai, Ticy-senpai, Ichigo-senpai. It's good to see you again Ichigo-senpai, I hope you had no trouble getting to your classroom." It was a question that came up to him a few times during the day since he helped him.

Nodding as a sign of greeting, the boy in question answered. "I got there just on time actually. Thanks again by the way, you really helped me out a lot." Secretly, Ichigo was thankful to the blond Pandora for calling out the dark haired Limiter. he had forgotten his name in the short span of time, his track record of remembering names living up to its name. So Kazuya was his name, he hoped he would remember that in the future.

"It was my pleasure to help Ichigo-senpai."

"Just Ichigo is fine. No need for the honorifics, never been one for those anyway." The orange haired teenager told him the same thing he told Ticy earlier that day. Kazuya blinked once in surprise, but complied with his request nonetheless.

"Since we're here and all, I suppose it's best to do some introductions while the occasion is present." Chiffon took the word as she stepped in the center of the group. Wasn't she scared to death just a minute ago? "Ichigo, this is one of our 2nd Year Pandoras, Satellizer el Bridget." She pointed to the bespectacled curvaceous girl. Said girl only nodded once in his direction.

"And this is Aoi Kazuya, but it seems though that you've met already." Chiffon then pointed to the dark haired boy that was a few inched shorter than Ichigo. And what an odd meeting, crashing into each other. Definitely not an experience he'd want to repeat anytime soon. Still, the boy looked pretty nice, he helped him out and was continuing to be polite to him.

"Yeah." Ichigo confirmed, not bothering to give any details. Kazuya nodded as well.

"Now you two, this is Kurosaki Ichigo. He's the new 3rd Year student that enrolled just yesterday. Since he might have some trouble finding his way around in the first few days, I expect you to be good underclassman and aid him should he ask you." Chiffon instructed, drawing a loud 'Yes' from the boy, the girl only nodding once.

"Well then, we'll be leaving you now. Enjoy your meal you two." With that, the 3rd Year students parted from the 2nd Year Pandora and the 1st Year Limiter. As they walked, Chiffon addressed Ichigo again. "After we're done here, we still have to show you around a bit more. There's one place that we have to take you." The orange haired teenager nodded, eager to start his meal. Really, it's been over 24 hours since he had some real food, he was practically famished.

Finding a table was pretty easy for the 3 students, there were plenty of free ones, it was pretty late and most were already done with their meals. As they ate, Chiffon informed Ichigo of a few customs and details about the Academy, as well as the relationship between a Pandora and a Limiter. Apparently, Pandoras had better compatibility with younger Limiter's in general and instances where a Pandora took a Limiter younger or their age were pretty rare. Of course, she also pointed out that Ichigo also had to find a Pandora to partner himself with and perform the Baptism, a notion the substitute still was unsure what it meant. He just said that he'll think about it.

Now, an hour after their dine, they were walking on the Academy campus again, the sunset present on their right, the reddish rays of the Sun reflecting perfectly within the orange locks of the substitute, making his hair as vibrant as it had ever been.

"So where to now?" Ichigo asked, remembering that the dark haired Pandora mentioned something about taking him to one more place. He hoped this would be the last though. It was pretty tiresome to go visit all these place. Sure, it was nice that he was getting to know new places and people, but he needed to take things at his own pace.

Chiffon, with Ticy on her tow, was all too happy to answer. "There is a poll reserved for 3rd Year students that can be used at all times. Some of my friends as well as classmates that you saw durring lessons are probably there already. I thought that it would be a nice opportunity for you to meet all of them now." The ever smiling girl answered.

"I guess." Ichigo replied, not feeling very confident. For one, he noticed that most of his classmates were members of the female gender, heck, there were only two other guys in his class. And in his personal, if very limited, experience with girls, the signs weren't looking good for him. Of course, all the thanks for those experiences belonged to his mentor, Yoruichi Shihouin.

"I don't have a swimsuit though." It was true, when he arranged the clothes Kisuke left for him, he didn't find anything suitable for a pool or beach.

"That's alright, you're only meeting them today. We can worry about that later." The Student Council President told him.

Nodding, Ichigo continued walking. After another 5 minutes, they arrived at another large complex secured with a certain code. Entering the code, the trio gained access in the facility and entered. Going through a hall, the substitute saw the other end and noticed that the lights were still on. So there were people present event at this hour.

Stepping into view, Ichigo was met with the sight of a few of his classmates. Much to his chagrin, all of them were girls, some of which he already saw this morning.

"Hello everyone, sorry I'm late, but I've brought a guest." Chiffon announced their arrival and was waving at the other Pandoras. Naturally, the outburst attracted everyone's attention as Ichigo felt different pairs of eyes on his person.

Pandoras, wearing only bikinis, were gathering close to them. As Ichigo examined each of them, he noted that everyone of them was pretty. Come to think of it, all the girls here were attractive, was the Academy also a place for models of something? Once a certain figure stepped from the back, Ichigo's eyes landed on her and reacted instantly.

"Gah!?" In less than a second his eyes were covered with both his hands as a furious blush appeared on his face. "Why are you naked?" The substitute practically roared seeing the blonde haired Pandora. For some reason unknown to the boy, she wore no swimsuit and was practically as naked as the day she was born a few feet away from him.

The girl in question only blinked before she smiled mischievously. "Oh my, what an innocent reaction. It's quite surprising." The owner of the voice could declare herself surprised after witnessing the way the new student reacted. But it made things all the more interesting, it was just like she predicted this morning. She went on about him with an open mind, hoping to be surprised. It seemed that things were going the surprise route, though it was different than what she expected.

"I'll say." Another voice commented. "From the way he looked I wouldn't have expected this kind of reaction from him."

"Well, that's not necessarily a bad thing. At least we know he's not a pervert." A third voice rang in the ears of the substitute.

Ichigo was getting annoyed. Here were these girl talking about him like he wasn't in the room and he couldn't do anything about it thanks to a certain Pandora who seemed to preferred bathing in the nude. Fortunately for him, small miracles happen from time to time.

"You can look now Ichigo, Elizabeth has a swimsuit on." He heard Chiffon's voice tell him.

Peaking through his fingers he noted that the smiling blue eyed Pandora was indeed wearing a bathing suit. It wasn't modest by anyone's standards, but it was a heck of a lot better and tolerable for the substitute. Removing his arms completely, Ichigo whispered something to himself about a black cat that brings him misfortune and gazed at the Pandoras.

There were five in total, a stern looking girl with red hair that he remembered seeing in the morning, the one he stood next to. Another redhead whose hair was tied in a long ponytail. This one though was smiling pleasantly and him and was waving her hand in his direction. Next to her was a talled Pandora with tanned skin, silver hair and blue eyes. She wore a stern expression, but didn't exude any hostility, it was just she was. In front of the group stood another silver haired girl, though this one was about a feet shorter than the other one. She gazed at him untrustingly. And who could forget the blonde haired beauty who nearly cause him a heart attack.

"Girls, this is Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm sure you've already met him, but I'm not sure if all of you had time for introductions, so I suggest we start with them." Chiffon suggested to the group and they seemed to agree as one of them stepped forward.

"Hey, I'm Arnett McMillan. It's a pleasure meeting you." The ponytailed redhead introduced herself brightly.

"Creo Brand." The tallest Pandora said simply, taking a place next to the Arnett.

Next to approach him was the shortest girl. "Attia Simmons. I'll be watching you." She narrowed her eyes in distrust at him. The substitute sweat dropped. Why the hostility? He had done nothing to her.

It didn't matter as the second redhead was in his face, her expression cold and slightly terrifying. "I'm Ingrid Bernstein. If you break the rules of West Genetics then you answer to me." She warned him, her disposition reminding the boy of how Byakuya was before he saved Rukia.

Lastly, the figure approached him. "I'm Elizabeth Mably. It's a pleasure meeting you Kurosaki Ichigo." She spoke elegantly making Ichigo feel like he was in the presence of a princess. However, after seeing her features and her disposition, he wouldn't be off the mark in thinking that she was of royal descend. Her entire presence was surrounded by an aura that was similar to that of a nobles. "Allow me to welcome you at West Genetics. I'm sure you'll have a great time here."

**xxx**

AN: And that's the end of this chapter. Alright, I know I'm very late with the chapter. I'm not even going to make any excuses. The reason I haven't updated earlier is simple, I've been lazy, it's as simple as that. I assume full responsibility for it. As a sign of apology, I made the chapter longer. That's not the only reason though, I've also wanted to finish the introductions and while I'm done with them (kinda, the last part is a bit rushed), there are still a few things that I will squeeze in the beginning of the next chapter which will be the real start of the story. The E-Pandora arc.

Speaking of next chapter, from now one I want to make a schedule and do my best to stick to it. Something like a chapter every month, it should give me enough time to write and also do my things. Also, I won't be caring about chapter length anymore. I'll make a rough sketch in my head about the chapter and write it out, I won't care if it takes less than 5k words or over 50k words...well the 50k is a bit of an exaggeration, but you guys get the idea.

So, you guys know this part. How did I handle Ichigo's and Urahara's characters? Were they in character? Did something seem amiss with them? What about the Freezing cast? Did I write them good? And things like that. Also, if you guys notice errors in the chapter, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll correct them as soon as I can.

Well, that's it for this time. I apologize once again for the long wait.

Don't forget to review and favorite if you like the story.

Bye bye.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Back with another chapter, but still late...

Anyway, please enjoy.

**Chapter 4 - Changing Seasons**

**xxx**

"Man, what a day." The unmistakable voice of the Winter War veteran could be heard as he entered his room in the Boy's Dorm, exhaustion latched onto his words as well as eagerness for his resting sanctuary, the bed. In his hands were several bags, a sign that his day had been rather full and eventful. Dropping them unceremoniously on the floor, he laid with his back on the Quincy like blue and white mattress, content that he was finally able to rest his legs.

Closing his eyes, he started reflecting on the last few days. It's been a bit over 2 weeks since he enrolled and due to his catching up, he was forced to go into some overdrive mode to try and learn as much as possible. He was able to pass one exam out of his five major exams, leaving four for the next time he would let the teachers know he was ready. Not being one to slack off, given that he was ranked in the top 20 students at Karakura High, he was already thinking of a next date for his examination.

Aside from the written part of his exams, there were also the physical ones which involved a number of challenges that he had to complete in a certain amount of time in order to pass. As he was completing the challenges, he couldn't help but agree with what Kisuke told him. He could have easily completed all of them with his human body, the training and experiences that honed it being more than enough to have him pass with flying colors. The added power of his spirit form made it even easier, he had to actively suppress himself from using them since he didn't require them.

It was then when he discovered a particularity about his abilities, apparently his powers had some sort of switch, though he wasn't sure if it was the right term to use. Basically, if he wanted he could turn them off and use only the strength of his human body, which as he learned was enough to make him pass as a good and talented student. He smirked as he remembered the faces his instructors made when he passed all the physical tests in one day, not to mention the praises that followed. Maintaining his detached image, he just shrugged them off, trying not to stand out too much as Kisuke instructed.

That said, it's not like his powers were actually turned off, they were still there, ready to interfere should he need it. He just felt that some kind of thin layer was set on them, cutting them off briefly from his body. Whether that layer was because of his body as a means to suppress and preserve his life or a feature the shopkeeper added to protect those around him from his large reserves, he had no idea. Fact was, if he wanted to he could use his body and add some of the incredible strength his spirit housed whenever he wished. For safety measures, he decided to let his body run its natural course and not suppress his powers unless needed, it felt the best to him, just like he did when he was in his spirit form.

Rising from his bed, he made his way to one of the windows and gazed outside, allowing himself to enjoy the scenery. These past 2 weeks taught him that the Academy made no savings when they designed the base, the place was build on a freaking island for crying out loud. An artificial one even, gifted with gorgeous forests, beaches and mountainous regions that assured breath taking views . Add all the high class service it offered, he could easily tell how ridiculously well founded this place was. Though given that Pandoras and Limiters were the main force that fought the Novas, he could understand the pampering it provided to the students.

At first it was a bit awkward for him to integrate himself in such a lifestyle. After living most of his life in a normal family and going to a normal high school, being thrown in such a prestigious place with all these students coming from rich and important families made him feel out of place. However, he was able to quickly overcome this small hill after a few days. School was school no matter where you went and it was the same with the students, they were the same no matter how different they appeared on the outside.

He managed to befriend most of his classmates during this time. Most of the time he found himself either with Chiffon and Ticy, the two girl were a great help to him as they gave him advice whenever he had questions. They also accompanied them during their lunchtime and kept him company, the substitute appreciated it, even if sometimes they would get lost in their talk and discuss some subjects that Ichigo had no understanding off, like the different ways of applying makeup and other things that girls talked about. Still, he had grown close to them, so much that he could call them friends.

During the times Chiffon and Ticy were busy with their duties a President and Vice President of the Student Council, he found himself conversing sometimes with the other group of Pandoras he met at the pool. He wasn't as close to them like he was with Chiffon and Ticy, mostly because these girls seemed to form a small group with the top ranking Pandoras that was cut off from the rest, but also because some of them, the long haired redhead, Ingrid, and the small drill haired girl, Attia, didn't seem to like him very much. The other three members of the group were more welcoming, especially the ponytailed redhead, Arnett, and even the tall Pandora, Creo, was open to him in her own silent way. The blonde of the group though, Elizabeth Mably, seemed to have taken a liking in embarrassing him. After his first visit, he was invited once again to the pool and just like last time and once again he found the 3rd Year British Pandora swimming without even as much a bathing suit.

Ichigo blushed slightly from his position as he looked at the white ceiling of his room, trying his hardest to forget the image of the beautiful Pandora. From what he could figure out, that was the way she always spent her time at the pool. Seeing the way she shamelessly flaunted her body, he assumed that modesty was not a word in her dictionary. She was almost as bad as Yoruichi was when she teased him, damn black cat bringing him bad luck. He was beginning to wonder if his old mentor had any hand in making the blonde girl act the way she did. It was not all bad, aside from the teasing, she seemed genuinely interested in him and was very friendly, he also noticed that she carried some form of honor code that she lived by so as far as he was concerned, she was alright.

And speaking of indecent things, there was another incident that really embarrassed the young substitute. Back in the first week he was told by his instructor, Yumi Kim, that he had to go and get himself examined at the medical office. At first he wasn't too bothered by it, but as soon as he opened the door of the office and entered he was hit by a bad feeling. The doctor, a young woman with green hair tied in a small ponytail, Elize Schmitz, seemed to be expecting him. She quickly informed him that he had to take a full physical and that was when Ichigo's mind halted as the door closed behind him on its own, his surprised expression being the last thing that could be seen. What followed was probably the most humiliating experience in his entire life.

Just remembering that day had Ichigo light up like a tomato and cover his whole face with his hand. He hoped that it was only a one time experience and that something like that wouldn't happen again, but knowing his luck, he doubted it. Damn black cat for bringing him bad luck.

That brings him to the events of the current day. Since he passed his first exam and had actually started to learn his way around the immensity that was West Genetics, courtesy to Chiffon and Ticy, he thought that it was time to visit the town that was affiliated with the Academy. The Campus was nice and all, but it wouldn't hurt to go in town and look at some actual shops and browse some things he was interested in, like music and such. Besides, he also wanted to get to know how the future was and compare it to his own time. So earlier during the week, he had asked the President and Vice President of the Student Council the easiest way for him to get there and a basic idea on where should he go. The two girls were all too eager to answer him, even giving him a detailed explanation on the general area and the shops that could be found within it. They also expressed their desire to join him on his quest towards this 'new' land, but unfortunately, their duties prohibited them from venturing alongside the orange haired boy.

Ichigo thanked them nonetheless and for the rest of the week until Saturday, the day he decided on going, he made a rough plan in his head with all the places he had to visit, all while keeping in mind the train schedule that Ticy lent him. When he studied it, he found out that he had plenty time for everything he had in mind.

Of course though, things don't always go as planned. "_As planned huh? What am I now, Aizen?"_ The substitute thought amusedly from his position, his lips twitching upwards. Speaking of the traitorous ex-Captain of the 5th Division, he briefly wondered if he was still serving his sentence. Urahara hadn't told him anything about it so things must be fine, still, he will ask in the future.

Forgetting about the matters that concerned Soul Society, he started thinking of more human things, like how this day started simple and how it got more complicated as it went on.

_Flashback_

_Ichigo stood in his seat in the high speed bullet train that crossed the Ocean, looking outside of the window, the unmistakable expression of boredom imprinted on his expression. You'd think that using the train as a form of transport would be a lot more exciting in the future. It wasn't. Other than improving the comfort, it was pretty much the same in his opinion. He saw that he was approaching the station, the voice of a robotic announcer only supplying him with the proof for his thoughts. _

_Getting off, he started towards the main hall of the station. Following the large mass of travelers, the substitute eventually managed to reach it in a matter of minutes. Looking around, he spotted some sort of 3D panels hovering above everyone's heads showing various commercials and what he assumed were some directions. Finding what he was looking for, the area full of stores and all that, he set off once again on the street, passing by other people who were minding their own life. It was pretty incredible now that he thought about it, how he was from 50 years in the past and he was walking the same streets as everyone else without them glancing once at him. He felt like he was into one of those science fiction books._

_It took him a bit, more exactly 15 minutes, but he finally reached the center town and as far as he could tell, there were shops everywhere, all that was left was for him to choose where to start. It didn't take long for him to decide, he had wanted to check out the music for a while and maybe find out some new ones to listen to. Afterwards, well, he'd see what shops were near and was interested in and go to them._

_That was his plan at least, but unfortunately for him, it didn't last even one second because he soon felt someone tugging his purple jacket, catching him off guard. Confused, he turned around and was greeted with a sight he wasn't expecting in the shape of one of one of his classmates, one that he actually knew. _

_"Heya!" The cheerful if somewhat loud greeting was not all unfamiliar to the substitute, nor was the long red hair tied in a ponytail or the wide smile the Pandora in front of him was giving him. Yeah, these were all definite traits of a girl he knew and it was just his luck that his mind had picked this exact moment to forget her name. _

_"Yeah, hi...uhm..." His mind quickly went into overdrive to try and search for the name of the girl in front of him, who had tilted her head to the side at his incomplete answer and regarded him with confusion in her brown eyes. Had she realized that he was racking his brain in order to remember her name? He sure hoped not, the response he might get might not be a good one. After a few seconds of silence his brain finally settled on what he hoped would be the right answer "...Diane?"_

_An awkward silence as well as a cold atmosphere settled between the two students of West Genetics. The orange haired boy averted his eyes to the side, the gaze of the Pandora in front of him intensifying tenfold as she stared at him, eyebrow twitching. "Could it be that you forgot my name?" He heard her ask simply, her tone changing and catching a slight irritated edge in it. _

_"...Yeah." Ichigo replied after a pause, confirming her words, his face slightly flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry." He trailed off still not making eye contact with the girl. _

_Once again, another awkward silence fell on the two teens as one of them was trying his hardest not to look at the Pandora in front of him and the other was pretty much staring daggers at him. Eventually, the girl conceded and released a breath as she calmed down, her shoulders relaxing and expression dropping the glare. "My name is Arnett, Arnett McMillan. You better remember it from now on." She advised him with her eyes slightly narrowed._

_Having made eye contact with her, the orange haired boy answered. "Right, I got it." He was about to ask what the girl wanted when she pointed her finger at him shocking the boy and making him take a step back_

_"No, you say it too." She demanded in a loud voice. "Say my name or else I won't believe that you got it." The seriousness in her voice was as clear as crystal. _

_Ichigo observed her for a few moments before he gave in. "Alright, I got it, Arnett." He spoke her name slowly, making sure his brain will memorize it. A second later, her finger retracted from his face and he could straighten himself up._

_The girl shock her head slightly and released another breath before addressing him. "Anyway, so what brings you here, _Ichigo_?" She asked, putting emphasis on his name to show him that unlike him she had memorized his name. The substitute got the message._

_"Not much really." He responded with a shrug, the tension leaving his body as he could finally converse in a casual manner. "I just figured I'd get off campus and see what it was like in the city and maybe search for some things while I browse around." _

_"Oh, so you're here to do some shopping?" Arnett questioned, her lips twitching upwards in a smile._

_"Something like that I guess." The boy responded without enthusiasm, his disinterest in the subject as clear as day. Not that the girl paid mind to it, in fact, her smile only got bigger._

_"Well, in that case wouldn't you like to join us? We're also here to shop and maybe grab something to eat or see a movie." She asked brightly, her expression now cheerful and eyes filled with hope in hearing a favorable answer from him._

_The substitute thought about the proposal and pondered his options. Either go by himself and be done with his things in a few hours or join the redhead and whoever was with her. "Wait. Us?" He asked aloud looking confused at the Pandora not seeing anyone accompanying her._

_"Yeah." Her confirmation came immediately before an idea hit her. "Come to think of it, this is a good opportunity for you to meet them." She said cheerfully, before she abruptly grabbed his arm and started pulling him, forcing the boy to move and follow her. "Come on, let's introduce you to them." _

_"Oi, wait." Ichigo complained, not pleased that he was dragged like that. "I never agreed to go with you, you know ." He pointedly reminded her as he struggled in her hold for a few instants before he finally managed to gain his footing and walk awkwardly on his own two legs. Great, now she was leading him to who knows where. There went his simple day off._

_"Don't be like that." The girl countered playfully, her smile palpable in her words. "I think it's better to spend time with your friends rather than wandering off alone. It's more fun this way, don't you think?"_

_The substitute didn't answer, he merely stopped resisting and gave up in trying to wedge his way out of her hold. She was right, if he was going to spend time here, he had to get acquainted with other students or classmates. He enjoyed spending time with Chiffon and Ticy, but he probably should expand his friend list a bit more and since the red haired girl was pretty much inviting him to an outing, he figured he should take the chance. With that in mind, he followed the ponytailed girl without complain._

_Soon enough they approached a public water fountain, a rather impressive looking one. The boy also noticed some people who appeared to be waiting there for someone, most likely some friends for a social outing. A closer look pointed out that the group consisted of two boys and one girl, an even closer look revealed to the boy that the only female member was a blonde, a rather familiar one at that. In fact, she resembled his classmate Elizabeth. Wait a minute. The person waiting there was actually the Mably hair herself in all her glory._

_Catching sight of them, the blonde gave a welcoming smile, an act which signified that she was pleased with their arrival. Moments later, the pair consisting of Ichigo and Arnett arrived at the group. _

_"Welcome back Arnett. I see that the person we saw from afar really was Ichigo. I'm glad." The British Pandora spoke in her usual elegant manner, not a single beat missing from her voice._

_The redhead nodded in confirmation, having released the orange haired boy. "Yeah, but given that Ichigo's probably the only guy with orange hair in a thousand mile radius, the chances of us getting it wrong were low from the beginning." She said as matter of fact which did nothing to increase the mood of the boy in person. Yeah, his orange hair was unique, he knew that. No need to be so blunt about it._

_"It is nice to see you, Ichigo." She said pleasantly. "I was hoping since we are all here you could join us and we could all spend the day together. It makes for a better experience when friends join you, don't you think?" The way she said those words, from the tone of her voice all the way to her smile, the substitute found it impossible to point out that he hadn't agreed to anything yet, he merely nodded both as a greeting and in agreement with her._

_"Plus, like I said, it's a good opportunity for you to meet new people." Arnett added from the side as her hand pointed out the rest of the company. "Come on, go introduce yourself." The redhead instructed as she lightly pushed the smaller of the boys forward, the other boy following suit. _

_Ichigo regarded the two males, one was a tall dark haired boy, about an inch shorter than Ichigo , whose wavy hair was tied in a small ponytail. His expression was soft and held a warm smile, one that could probably make any girl's heart skip a beat. In contrast, the other boy was short, shorter than even Arnett, with short light colored hair combed to his left side which covered part of his forehead. His expression on the other hand seemed stiff as if he was about to face a great danger. _

_The boy in question felt nervous. When his partner had gone and retrieve this new Limiter he was a bit curious about seeing him, but once he appeared in sight all that was gone. From the first look, he could tell that he was frightening. I mean who wouldn't think that? With that menacing scowl, his fiery wild hair and intense gaze, anybody would be scared by him. How can Andre-sempai be so calm?_

_But he wasn't about to give up and look like an idiot, not in front of his partner. Standing straight, he worked the courage and went on the offensive. "My name is Morrison and I am Arnett-senpai's Limiter. It is a pleasure meeting you!" The force of his voice surprised all those present as everyone's eyes widened. _

_Next to him, the black haired boy recovered swiftly and smiled at his younger friend understanding the reason of his outburst. Turning at the newest Limiter, he began his own introduction. "And my name is Andre Francois, Elizabeth Mably's Limiter." He gave a deep bow, an elegant act that was almost akin that of a royal prince's. "It is a pleasure meeting you." His gesture, completed with his perfect smile was one of the most exquisite displays the orange haired boy had ever seen. Was this guy some famous actor?_

_Almost perplexed by the display, the substitute could only stare at the gracious boy for a few moments, when he suddenly remembered that he needed to give a greeting of his own. "Oh...Uhm...I'm Ichigo." He stumbled on his words as he rubbed his head in embarrassment, his introduction nowhere near as extravagant or as impressive as the other Limiter's now dubbed Andre._

_As it happens, he was not the only one who thought of the introduction as being not up to par, moments after he finished his introduction, Arnett began laughing which caught everyone's attention. "Oh that was too funny. After Andre gave his stylish and mannered introduction, all you came up with was 'Uhm...I'm Ichigo' like you're the most boring person in the world." She finished in a fit of giggles that she could barely contain with her palm covering her mouth. The others weren't much better, Elizabeth was visibly suppressing her urge to laugh while Andre smiled apologetically at the substitute. Morrison on the other hand was so nervous he was close to sweating, doing his best to appear that he hadn't heard what his partner said about the newest Limiter in fear of angering him. _

_Eyebrow twitching in annoyance and expression firmly placed in a scowl, Ichigo crossed his arms and looked away from the source of his irritation. "Well, sorry for being boring then."_

_Arnett only smiled in amusement as she approached him. "Oh my, are you pouting? Hey, relax, I was only joking you know." She gently punched his chest with the back of her fist to prove her point. The spiritual fighter did not budge from his spot, nor avert his eyes to look in her direction, action which only made her pout in response before an idea hit her. "Alright, how about I treat you a drink then? You know, as an apology."_

_"That's not a bad idea." The blonde Pandora added from her spot. "I heard that a new cafe opened somewhere next to the central Mall. A few girls who went there told me that their chocolate milkshake is to die for and I would like to give it a try myself." She explained to everyone._

_Before anyone could say anything, the orange haired boy already gave his answer. "Alright, I'll go." The quickness of his response caught everyone by surprise._

_"Eh? That was fast." Arnett exclaimed. Given his previous behavior, she certainly did not expect him to agree and answer with such vigor. Musing to herself, she surmised that there must be a reason for the substitute to act in such a way. "Could it be that you like chocolate?" She asked innocently._

_"Yeah, what of it?" Ichigo asked defensively, not pleased that this particular knowledge was out in the open so soon._

_The redhead only released a small giggle. "Oh nothing, I just think it's very cute that you do."_

_"I'm not cute." Ichigo deadpanned. All he got was more giggles is return and not only from her, but from the British Pandora as well. Feeling that he had been in the center of attention for long enough, he decided to change subjects to some that didn't involve him being the focus of the discussion. "So what are we going to do while where here? Do you guys have a plan or something on where we are supposed to go?"_

_This time, it was Elizabeth who answered him. "Yes, before coming here, Arnett and myself have discussed our plans for the day and we came in agreement that we should see a movie at the cinema before doing any actual shopping." She informed the substitute, a smiled constantly plastered on her face. "And of course, we could visit the Cafe I mentioned after we are done with everything else. I believe that there is enough time for that as well."_

_"A movie?" Ichigo questioned out loud. Well, he supposed that it was a normal enough activity for most teenagers and Pandoras, despite being soldiers that defend mankind from alien invaders, were still teenagers. _

_"Yes, Eli-senpai is very fond of movies and she has been looking forward to this one in particular ever since it was announced months ago." Andre supplied from his position next to his partner, giving her a knowing look which she returned with a smile of her own. _

_"Is it the one you told me that you were dying to see?" Arnett asked with excitement as she remembered a conversation she had with Elizabeth weeks ago about this certain movie. It was one of those rare instances where even the normally calm and collected Elizabeth broke out of her set mannerisms and acts more enthusiastic._

_"Indeed it is." The blonde Pandora confirmed with a nod of her head. "I believe we should also be making our way to the cinema. If we wish to get good seats we'd best make head there now." Talking to friends was fun and all, but she was really looking forward to the movie. _

_"That's fine with me." Ichigo told everyone, confirming that he was indeed going to join their group and spend the day with me. With everything sorted, the group starting making their way to the destination. "So what movie are we seeing anyway?" The orange haired boy asked as he strode on the sidewalk._

_Elizabeth was all too pleased to answer him. "The movie is called 'Expelled from Paradise' and is one of the biggest hits of the moment. I do not wish to give much of the story away, but it is set in a futuristic world where an entity threatens the peace created by the people and they assign someone to handle the crisis of their world in hopes of saving humanity." _

_"That sounds...interesting." Ichigo paused briefly as he listened to the Pandora. Honestly speaking, from the way she said it, it wasn't that much different from what humanity was facing in reality. In fact, he could say that the premise for that movie was pretty spot on._

_Nobody said anything else on the way. When they got to the cinema, they quickly decided that Elizabeth and Andre would buy the tickets from the stand while the rest of them would buy popcorn, snacks and drinks for everyone. Ten minutes before the movie began, everyone was seated and ready. _

_Ichigo took his time until the start of the film to admire the new screens that would show them the movie. For one, it was huge and it was slightly tipped forward so that you would have to lean your head back slightly to get a good view. Also, the technology also incorporated the latest in 3D visuals and for the full experience, the staff procured everyone a pair of modern, self adjusting 3D glasses that were capable of making the sight suitable even for those who suffered from poor eyesight. The moment Ichigo put them on, he felt himself immerge in the world of the movie, every detail he could see felt as real as the world around him. Moments later, the movie began._

_**xxx**_

_Nearly 3 hours later, the group was walking through the enormity of the Mall named '', the largest and most famous brand in the local area. After they had finished the movie, just as they had spoken before, the group went to the Mall to finally begin what females would call, the most recreational and pleasing activity a woman could practice. Or what Ichigo would call, Hell. But even that comparison wouldn't be fair given that the substitute did breach the forbidden doors of Hades in the past and actually ventured in the Underworld. He could honestly say that he'd much rather face the latter again._

_Given his current position, it would be easy to assumed his displeasure at his current situation. In fact, his annoyed expression and twitching eyebrow were clear signs of his state of mind._

_"Alright." Ichigo started slowly, the effort to control his anger palpable within his voice. "I really appreciate that you guys decided to show me around." He started off slowly._

_Andre smiled pleasantly from his right side._

_"And I'm really grateful that you invited me to spend the day together and get to know each other." He continued, the timber of his voice gradually rising._

_Elizabeth mimicked he Limiter and gave the orange haired boy a smile as well._

_"And I'm all for chivalry..." A vein was threatening to pop on his forehead._

_Morrison was sweating from his right. Laughing nervously at the standing of the substitute, he couldn't help but feel apprehensive of the whole thing. He had this feeling that something was going to happen in the next few moments. His hunch was right as the orange haired boy just snapped._

_"But why am __**I**__ the designated pack mule for __**all**__ these bags?" He pretty much roared as he glared heatedly at the back of the ponytailed Pandora who was walking in front of him, arms folded at her back, walking without a care in the world as Ichigo followed around carrying several bags which contained various purchases from the stores they've been at. To make matters worse, while Andre and Morrison only had to carry 6 and 4 bags respectively, he was stuck with 8 bags in __**each**__ hand which made for a total of 16 bags. What in God's name did that woman buy? Half the store?_

_Hearing the whine behind her, the red haired girl turned around and addressed the problem. "Must you complain about everything?" She deadpanned as she regarded the boy with a bored look. An action which further angered the substitute. Seeing this, the girl released a breath before continuing. "You were free anyway since you only bought two bags worth of things. Besides, we needed our hands free." She told in as a matter of fact. _

_"You have nothing to worry about." Elizabeth added, gaining the attention of the 2 two teenagers. "We are finished with our shopping and we are headed for the cafe now." The information was like music to Ichigo's years, at last he'd have a break from this nightmare. Arnett on the other hand mad a sad expression as she pouted slightly. There went her fun, she actually enjoyed the prospect of seeing Ichigo as her personal pack mule. He did have a mouth, but he was obedient for the most part._

_Several minutes later, the boys were seated at a table in the famous 'Latte' cafe and if Ichigo were to speak for himself, if he ever had the choice, he would never go shopping again. Hell, he'd rather face Ulquiorra again, him with Shikai and the ex-Espada in his Segunda Etapa. For him, this small moment where he could finally relax his legs was a God sent. He closed his eyes as he leaned into his chair, finding the texture of it surprisingly comfortable. _

_"Here you go." He heard the now familiar voice of Arnett as she placed something on the table in front of him. Opening his eyes, he noted with surprise that a large chocolate milkshake was in front of him. Turning to the girl, he saw her bright smile as she placed another drink in front of her Limiter and one for herself before taking her seat next to him. He also noted that Elizabeth took the other seat on his left. _

_"I was only kidding you know." He suddenly stated seriously. "I could've gotten a drink myself."_

_"Don't sweat on it." Arnett responded, not losing her smile or happy disposition."It's my apology from before and also a thank you for helping me carry my bags." Seeing that he was about to say something else, most likely still related to the drink, she cut him off. "And you say something else about it, I'll just make you drink it by shoving it down your throat."_

_Ichigo sweat dropped at the last thread. "Fine." He reluctantly agreed as he took a sip of his drink No point angering the red haired Pandora. Hey, this chocolate milkshake was pretty good._

_"So how are you finding West Genetics so far Ichigo?" Elizabeth asked as she place a sugar cube in her coffee before mixing the drink with her teaspoon. "Is it to your liking?" She placed the teacup at her lips, savoring the fragrance of her coffee._

_Taking another sip of his milkshake, the substitute though about his answer. "It's alright I guess, definitely a lot bigger than my previous school. I didn't have much time to get used to the place though, all these make up test are really taking my time." He complained as he remembered he still had 4 more tests he had to take. On the bright side, the deadline for his next one was a month so he could enjoy so free time and actually get the feel on what is like to live on Campus._

_"Yes, I've heard that you were taking those tests." Elizabeth confirmed with a nod, highly interested in the subject. "I've also heard that you already passed your first written exam and all your physical trials with passing colors. That it's quite an accomplishment. Congratulations." She gave him another smile, one that showed how impressed she was with his performance._

_Feeling his cheeks heat up under the gaze of the beautiful Pandora, he muttered a 'Thanks' before going back to his drink again._

_"Wait, you passed all your physical trials in one go?" Arnett exclaimed as she fully processed what Elizabeth had said. That's the first she ever heard something like this happen. A student to pass 3 years worth of physical trials in one day was amazing. Sure, the trials the Limiters had to do were nowhere near as extensive as the ones for Pandoras, but Limiters couldn't tap in the power of the stigmata like a Pandora can so it balances out in the end. _

_Both Andre and Morrison were wide eyed as well at this new information. As Limiters, they knew exactly what the challenges were and hearing someone pass them on the first try, was that person even human? _

_Not exactly sure why everyone was gawking at him all of a sudden, the substitute just responded with a "Yeah, I did." And with that, he left all of them, except Elizabeth, speechless._

_"Geez, no wonder you could carry all those bags, you're actually quite strong." Arnett deduced as she leaned in her chair. "But hey, that's good. It's nice to have a Limiter that can fend for himself, makes a Pandora's job much easier." She added with a smile before she noticed with the corner of her eye the downcast expression her partner just made. Feeling her eyebrow twitch, she stepped on his leg from under the table, earning a yelp from the light haired Limiter. After apologizing for the commotion, she got close to him and started whispering something to him._

_Seeing this, Elizabeth then took the liberty of changing Ichigo's attention to herself, giving her friend time to sort some things out with her Limiter. "Speaking of which, have you decided on finding a Pandora partner yet, Ichigo?" She asked with genuine curiosity. _

_"Not really..." The boy in question muttered to himself as his words trailed off._

_"You should think about this carefully you know." Arnett supplied joining the conversation again. "You're already a 3rd year student here so you should definitely try and find a partner for yourself. Still, it's bad luck that Pandora seem to have better compatibility with Limiters that are younger than themselves." _

_"Yeah, Chiffon said the same thing." Ichigo supplied as he remembered the discussion he had with the President of the Student Council Club._

_"But hey, it's not impossible to perform a Baptism with a Pandora your age or younger. Sure, the chances are that your compatibility won't be that great, but maybe you're one of the rare cases where you have better compatibility with younger Pandoras." The ponytailed girl added cheerfully, brightening the mood slightly. "If you want we can even help you find a partner."_

_"Help?" How they were going to help him find a partner? Were they going to place signs on lampposts and walls with his picture and a text that said something like '3rd year orange haired LImiter looking for Pandora partner'? Yeah, no, he was going to skip on that. Besides, it's not like he actually wanted a partner, he wasn't even sure how the whole Baptism thing even worked, it wasn't in the subjects for the 1st exam. _

_"While we may not be as popular as Chiffon, we are still well known individuals here at Genetics. We can find out which girls don't have a partner yet and see which one would be interested." Elizabeth informed him. "I believe that there is a higher chance on finding a partner with girls from the 2nd year. "_

_"Speaking of 2nd years, I know Satellizer hasn't done the Baptism yet. Well, Aoi Kazuya is her unofficial partner, but still, there is her. Rana Linchen is in the same boat as well." Arnett replied with her own information. "Now that I think about it, I think Rana is older than us."_

_"You are right." Elizabeth confirmed after she took a few moments to think of the Tibetan Pandora. "I believe she is one year older than us, she mentioned it during the celebration party of the last Nova Clash." What an embarrassing night though, she had done an actual drinking challenge with the other British, blond haired Pandora. To think that she would be pushed to her limits by the rebellious Pandora. _

_"So there you go Ichigo, we already have someone who you can potentially partner up with." Arnett smiled at the substitute. _

_Not exactly understanding why the girls were getting so worked up on the Pandora - Limiter partner deal, he decided to end this particular discussion. "Yeah thanks, but I think I'd rather do this at my pace." He informed them, hoping that they would change the subject._

_Elizabeth only smiled. "I agree, that would be the best idea. However, time is short, so don't wait too long or else you'll end up with nothing." She told him with Arnett nodding her head in agreement._

_"Alright, got it." He confirmed. The rest of their evening was spent making idle chatter, talking about various topics, mostly what they liked and disliked, hobbies and all that since Ichigo was new to them and they wanted to get to know more about him. The orange haired boy responded to the best of his abilities, doing his best to appear as a normal Limiter, constantly being careful not to accidentally spill some secret that was related to the afterlife or his powers. _

_Things were going pretty well. Other than his apparent ridiculously good performance in the practical field due to him passing all his physical trials, he didn't believe he stood out more than the average student. Well, there was his orange hair, but his new friends didn't seem to mind it._

_Just before sunset, they all left the cafe and headed for the train station. After nearly half an hour they were on West Genetics grounds. Bidding farewell to the girls, they separated as they all went to their respective dorms. Ichigo was accompanied to his dorm by both Andre and Morrison, thanks to this he even got to know their room number. Andre was in the same building as him, two stories above while Morrison was in the next building. Biding his goodbye, he unlocked the door and entered his room._

_Flashback End_

And that was the events that had transpired during his day. What started as a solo day for him to browse around quietly turned into a group outing with him being the surprise guest. All things considered, he actually enjoyed spending it with other people. Both Elizabeth and Arnett were right, it was more fun when you are together with other people, especially if those people are your friends and starting today, both Pandoras and their Limiters were officially on his nakama list.

With that sorted out, he picked himself up, went to take a shower and maybe do some homework afterwards.

**xxx**

Monday had come really soon for the orange haired substitute, he barely had time to relax during the week end. He masked a tired yawn as he headed cafeteria, happy that classes were over for the moment. They weren't particularly tiring, but he somehow felt more drained than usual. Maybe it was that whole Monday monotony where every student was feeling lazy and had to get himself in gear to function properly.

Picking his meal he went to his familiar spot with Chiffon and Ticy, who were already seated at the table. On his way he noticed that Arnett and Elizabeth were seated at a nearby table. As he got closer, he was spotted by the ponytailed girl who cheerfully greeted him, waving her hand in the air. Elizabeth too gave him a bright smile and to his surprise, the dark skinned short haired Pandora also greeted him with a small smile. He returned the greeting with a small wave of his hand, though he couldn't help but sweat drop at the other red headed Pandora who was still ignoring him and the little Pandora who was openly glaring at him.

Taking his seat at the table, he released a small breath releasing some tension from his body.

"It's not admirable for a man to sigh, Ichigo." The happy voice of Chiffon caught him off guard as he jumped lightly, looking at her. "I heard you had a pretty exciting week end, mind telling us about it as well?" The President asked politely as she pointed at herself and Ticy who actually appeared to look somewhat curious.

Seeing no harm in it, the substitute went and told the two girls everything that he experienced. He also took the time to enjoy his food as he spoke. He actually took Chiffon's advice and tried more sophisticated restaurants and he was pleasantly surprised by their delicacies, there was this Japanese style restaurant whose food tasted almost as good as his sister's. Almost being the key word since he believed that there is nothing in the world that could surpass Yuzu's cooking.

As he and the girls were enjoying their meal, he heard the radio chance from the song it was playing to a sound that gathered everyone's attention. An announcement was to be made.

"What now?" He questioned out loud, scowl becoming more pronounced.

_"Attention all Pandoras and Limiters, the following students are requested to head to sister Margaret's office as soon as possible. I repeat, the following students are asked to head to sister Margaret's office as soon as possible."_

After that, the monotonous voice started listing Pandora names along with their Limiter's names. It was worth to take notice that the substitute knew most of the names that were mentioned. Then, much to Ichigo's surprise, he had also heard his name being called. For what reason he had no idea, he had no Pandora partner and thus he didn't have any skills as a Limiter, not counting his Shinigami powers since no one knew about them.

"It seems that we have been requested." Chiffon stated as she stood up, the meal in front of her forgotten as she was summoned to her duty once again. "Shall we head out?" She asked, glancing in Ichigo's direction.

Nodding, the boy also stood up and got ready to leave. With the side of his eye, he also noticed that that Elizabeth had also stood up, being another Pandora that was requested. Surprising both Ichigo and Chiffon, Ticy jumped on her feet stating that she wished to join them, but being the voice of reason, Chiffon told her that she should remain and enjoy her meal, not without promising to tell her everything after she was free.

With that, the two teenagers went for the Headmistresses' office. A few feet later, they were joined by the British, blonde haired Pandora. No one said a word as they all headed to their destination.

**xxx**

Nearly 20 minutes later, most of the summoned people were present and were waiting patiently, not in Ichigo's case, outside the office. The substitute wasn't well known for his patience these days, especially when he was left out of the loop. If he were to guess, then he'd rather believe that it was all Kisuke's fault with all his shady charade and the stunts he pulled, leaving him in the dark most of the time and sending him to do ridiculous tasks.

Among those summoned, Ichigo also recognized the dark haired Limiter that helped him on his first day as well as the gorgeous, bespectacled Pandora that he had met on the same day at the cafeteria. The one Chiffon and Ticy and pretty much everyone was making such a scene about. Glancing at her, she was quietly leaning on the wall like he was and kept her eyes closed, tuning out the discussions that the other students were having. He still couldn't see why everyone made such a case for her, she looked like any other teenage girl, maybe a bit shy and not the talkative type, but he didn't see much of a problem with that given that he too wasn't one to start ranting about useless things like Keigo. _"Maybe her reputation had something to do with her nickname". _He ventured a thought. Other students did refer to her as the 'Untouchable Queen', though why and how Pandoras get their nicknames is a complete mystery to him. It was then when suddenly the girl shifted her head and turned it in his direction and their eyes met for a brief moment. Breaking the contact, Ichigo chose to look forward again, not realizing that he had been staring at her. Hopefully, she won't think of him as a pervert who was sizing up his new 'victim', that was the last thing he wanted to be seen as.

While waiting for permission to enter, apparently some other teachers were called and they had to get there from who knows where, Chiffon also introduced him to the other two students that were waiting but hadn't met yet.

"Yujin, this is Kurosaki Ichigo, the student who transferred a few weeks ago." She pleasantly began the exchange. "And Ichigo, this is Yujin, my Limiter."

After that, the brown haired boy extended his hand and gave the older teenager a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you Ichigo-san, Onee-chan told me many things about you."

Pausing for a moment, the substitute responded. "Yeah, nice to meet you as well." He was slightly perplexed by the way the younger boy addressed Chiffon, but she didn't seem to mind so he left it at that. It was none of his business anyway.

"And I'm Rana Linchen, it's very nice to meet you ." The dark, blue haired girl introduced herself happily, her upbeat voice ending in her trademark Tibetan dialect.

If he was honest, Ichigo was taken aback by her chipper mood. In fact, after one quick look, he got the impression that she always had a smile on her face for some reason, she struck him as that kind of person. "Nice to meet you too." He replied normally.

He then saw her go to Kazuya and hug his arm, telling him something that made the boy heat up. Were they partners? He was under the impression that the dark haired Limiter liked the blonde girl, he even invited her to dinner on his first day. Case in point as the blonde in question moved from her spot on the wall and marched towards the pair. He felt a flicker of amusement as he watched the two girls start bickering with each other while the boy was watching helplessly the entire scene. It kind of reminded him of the playful insult exchange he and Ishida had occasionally.

"There they go again." He heard Chiffon giggle in amusement next to him. So this kind of thing was normal to them, huh. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the 1st Year Limiter, poor guy.

"Will all of you quiet down?" The authoritative and commanding voice caught everyone's attention. Looking at the source, Ichigo identified his dark haired teacher, Yumi Kim, so she's been summoned as well. "Is everyone here? Good. Please follow me inside the office and try to be on your best behavior." She stated seriously, looking at the infamous 2nd Year Pandora and the newest Limiter.

Ichigo held back the need to voice his discomfort. Did he look like that much of a troublemaker? He hadn't done anything out of the ordinary since he arrived, so he didn't understand why was his teacher so untrusting of him. It was only when he noticed another Pandora teacher behind the other woman that his trail of thoughts stopped. As soon as he saw green hair tied in a small ponytail, he immediately started sweating.

_"Oh God, not her. Please, anyone but her."_ He prayed vehemently in his mind, hoping that the tall Pandora wouldn't take notice in him. No such luck.

Taking notice of him, the retired Pandora brightened up and smiled pleasantly. "Good afternoon Kurosaki Ichigo-kun, I hope you are feeling well this afternoon." She asked kindly, giving him and innocent look, yet made sure that her clipboard was pressed tightly on her chest, giving him an ample view.

Ichigo's face heated up considerably as he did his best to look at her face. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." That was all he could say, not trusting his voice to say anything else.

"That's good to hear." Was her immediate response, the tone of her voice retaining her happy demeanor. She also took a step forward, making the boy tense visibly. Wrapping her now free arm around his torso, she leaned into him, making sure her mouth was next to his ear. "If you were not, I would've had asked you to pay me a visit at my office again." Her voice was latched with such a powerful seduction quality that it left the substitute speechless.

"Elize what are you waiting..." The other teacher, who hadn't been paying attention to her colleague, turned around to see what was holding her up. Upon landing her eyes on the scene and seeing the position the green haired Pandora entertained with the young Limiter as well as the expression the boy had, she saw red. "Come here you!" Stomping hard on the ground, she viciously took Elize's hand and forcefully dragged her away, pulling her towards the office. Her face was flushed with embarrassment while the nurse smiled innocently at the boy.

This action caught everyone's attention and soon, everyone was staring at the orange haired boy who was still visibly affected by what happened. Deciding to ask what was on everyone's mind, Chiffon approached him carefully. "Ichigo, what..." She didn't get to finish the sentence.

"Drop it." He cut her off immediately. "Just forget about it." He gave everyone a heated glare that pretty much meant that they should never bring this topic up again. Under such a stare, everyone quietly complied and headed inside the office.

Releasing another breath, the substitute calmed down enough and entered the room last, closing the door after him.

**xxx**

Ichigo was annoyed. Of course, than in itself was not a surprising state of mind for his character. Coupled with his scowling face, one could say that it's his normal disposition. But this time, he had a reason to be after what he had heard the Headmistress tell him and everyone else last night when he was summoned.

Apparently, he and the others were to go to Alaska to this secret facility or something where some new project was established and tested out. They were supposed to go there and meet up with other Pandora and somehow help with the project. He wasn't exactly sure how they were going to do that, but Sister Margaret told them to follow the orders of who was leading the place since they served under Chevalier.

He still didn't get why he had to go though, he had no Pandora partner and no abilities as a Limiter. As far as he was concerned, he should be a nobody to the higher ups, but apparently, that was not the case. And it was all thanks to Urahara. Due to his 'relation' with him, he was viewed quite high on the social scale and was requested to attend this mission by Chevalier themselves. And that annoyed him, it meant that those who were in control knew about him and already had their eyes on him.

Another reason for his annoyance was that he had to move locations again. All these changes that were happening to him were irritating him, first a change of time, then a change of school and now a change of locations, to the icy land no less. His attitude was pretty understandable now as he was following an escort to the hangar, a duffle bag on his shoulder and hands in pockets.

Exiting the list, he was surprised to see that there were a lot less people that there was supposed to. "Hey, where are the rest?" He voiced out his question, noticing that only Kazuya, Rana and the blonde haired Pandora were around. Realization soon hit Ichigo that once again, he had forgotten the name of a person.

After greeting him with a nod, the younger Limiter answered him. "Good morning Ichigo. They already left. Sister Margaret prepared two helicopters for us so Chiffon-senpai and Elizabeth-senpai already left." He informed him.

He frowned at that slightly. "They already left?" What was the pint of separating them? It's not like a single helicopter couldn't carry all of them, heck it could carry more than that. Maybe West Genetics wanted to show off or something. "Well, we better go as well." He told them and started embarking the military vehicle that was waiting for them. The others picked their luggage and followed him.

About an hour later Ichigo's mood didn't change much, other than adding boredom to the equation. Watching the Tibetan Pandora try to flirt with the other Limiter stopped being funny after the first 10 minutes, he still felt bad for what he was going through. Those two were seated next to each other on one side of the helicopter, while he and the quiet Pandora were on the other side, a distance of 5 seats separating them. He was starting to get the feel that the blonde girl didn't like him much, she hadn't tried talking with him so far and instead chose to look outside the window only interfering when she felt that Rana got too close to Kazuya.

Looking outside as well, Ichigo witnessed what could be described as one of the most amazing views on Earth, the Aurora Borealis. It looked as if the sky was ripped from a magical, fantasy book.

"So cold." He heard the happy girl complain. Well what did she expect coming to such a place wearing a short skirt? "Kazuya-kun, will you keep me warm?" And there she was again, another flirting attempt. Ichigo had to admire her persistence.

"Rana, you're too close." The Limiter protested slightly, but the girl would have none of that.

"But it's really cold, I'm freezing to death." She got even closer to him. "Touch me just a little." Was she even hearing how she sounded?

"Hold on, where are you putting my hand?" The boy suddenly yelped.

The girl only giggled. "Here, just a little. Right here." Again, this banter was beginning to frustrate the orange haired boy, despite not looking at it. It really wasn't funny anymore.

"There, you see? It's really cold." She continued. "That's why I want you to keep me warm, Kazuya-kun."

Thankfully for Ichigo, who couldn't stand this much longer, the British Pandora entered the discussion the other two were having. "Our Volt Textures provide protection and insulation against the cold weather." She informed them irritably. At least it got them to stop.

"Oh, does it, Satellizer-san?" The other girl challenged her. Satellizer only narrowed her eyes.

Then, without warning, the route of the helicopter change.

_"Attention Genetics personnel, we have received a distress signal and orders to change directions and head that way."_

"Changing directions?" Kazuya asked as he fixed his seat belt.

Bracing himself, Ichigo too fixed his seat belt and waited for further information. What could possibly cause a distress signal in this white desert. Polar bears? After a few minutes, one of the pilots spoke again.

_"We are now right above the source of the distress signal. However, due to poor visibility, we cannot make an assessment on the situation below."_

Hearing this, the blonde haired Pandora released her seat belt, got up from her seat and ran to a window on the other side. Mimicking her actions, Ichigo did the same and went to another window. Scanning the area, he saw large trees, and the lights from the chopper that were searching the area. After a few moments, the beam landed on something massive. Seeing it for the first time, Ichigo's eyes widened. Was that a...

_"Nova Type S spotted."_

Just as shocked as the substitute, Kazuya talked with the pilots. "How can a Nova suddenly appear? There usually are dimensional oscillations when they show up. Weren't you able to pick up any?" He asked.

_"We're in the middle of a blizzard. You can't expect the equipment to function properly."_

Before Kazuya could say anything, another voice was heard through their communication device. It was a woman this time.

_"Current situation acknowledged. There is a Chevalier oil depot three kilometers from your current location. Defend the facility at all costs. Prioritize in stopping the Type S Nova"_

"D-Defend the facility?" Kazuya asked incredulously. "With only two Pandoras?"

_"Reinforcements should be there momentarily. The destruction of the oil depot would be catastrophic, in part due to the risk of oil leaking into the ocean. You're the only ones that are close enough to prevent this."_

Leaving everyone at a loss of words, the teenagers took this bit of news with various degrees of worries. For himself, Ichigo didn't have a good feel about this whole situation. What was he supposed to do? If the Nova proved to be a big enough thread he would have to intervene, but with his cover at risk, he felt hesitant. Damn Kisuke and his ideas. Meanwhile, one of the pilots started speaking again.

"The bad weather makes landing impossible. Open the hatch and deploy for combat immediately."

"Huh? What did they mean by that?" Rana asked confused, glancing at the others.

Satellizer was the one who answered her. "They're telling us to jump off and fight right now."

Shaking off his surprise, Kazuya got up and headed for the ramp as the chopper descended. Everyone else got in position. While Ichigo was still confused by the orders, he pushed those thoughts aside and prepared for the jump. At last, he'd get to see what these Novas were all about. That was the plan until the blonde Pandora stepped in his way, hear back turned to him.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you should remain here." She told him seriously. "You have no ability as a Limiter and would only endanger yourself by going."

Ichigo frowned. From her point of view he could understand why she would warn him and stop him from going. After all, Limiters without a Pandora partner were not able to use the 'Freezing' ability. But was far from normal. "Don't worry about me, I can handle myself." He gave her a confident answer.

The Pandora did not answer and was measuring him with the corner of her eyes.

Losing his patience, Ichigo replied. "Look, you can either try to stop me or try to stop the Nova." He replied quickly as Kazuya had already pulled the lever, the hatch doors beginning to open as everyone felt the cold winds come in contact with their bodies.

Satellizer only released a breath. "Do as you wish." She responded calmly before taking her position. Once the helicopter's altitude decreased to a manageable height, she ordered loudly. "Let's go!" With those words, everyone made a dash for the edge before jumping on the new battlefield.

As he felt his legs leave the ramp, Ichigo prepared for an easy landing. The distance was short, there was snow on the ground that would help with the landing and this is nothing compared to everything else he did. Looking to the side, he noticed with surprise that the Tibetan Pandora was not only not preparing for landing, hell, she wasn't even looking at where she was going to land. Immediately, he extended his and grabbed her, pulling her close to him and securing her in his arms.

Unfortunately, when he landed, the extra weight unbalanced him and made him fall on his butt in the cold snow. He mumbled a curse at the contact.

"Thank you very much." The girl smiled in appreciation.

Of course, that didn't do much to deter his growing anger. "What the hell were you thinking? What kind of person jumps off a helicopter without a clue on how to land?" He may have been a bit rough on her, she probably wouldn't have been hurt due to the soft snow, but it's better to warn her now than regret it later.

Rana only laughed. "Don't worry. It all worked out well didn't it?" She responded happily.

Keeping in check his desire to lecture her more about the dangers she could face, he suddenly noticed the position they were in. The girl was practically sitting in his lap with her arms resting on his chest while he was keeping her steady. Remembering that she was wearing a short skirt, his face heated up at the closeness of their bodies.

"Now, let's handle our problem." Completely clueless to his discomfort, the Tibetan Pandora got off of him and prepared for battle, her eyes sizing the large body of the extraterrestrial invader with confidence. Satellizer and Kazuya were already ready for the confrontation.

_"Good luck."_

After relaying that message, the military helicopter departed and began its own mission of distracting the Nova.

Joining them, Ichigo too was ready. He inspected the Nova for the first time, trying to get the feel of it. From what he could tell, his original assumption of it being like a Gillian was accurate, the Type S was huge yet it seemed to lack mobility due to its shape and size. But from what he read, these things could use Freezing, so they could be potentially dangerous.

Looking up, he saw some military fighter jets approach and deploy bombs near the Nova's location, setting off instantly and burning everything around them. The huge extraterrestrial entity was engulfed into a cloud of fire that cut off all visibility.

"They did it!" The Tibetan Pandora exclaimed happily.

Her short moment of pleasure was interrupted though by the blonde Pandora. "No, look again." She spoke grimly.

In front of them, a huge bright blue symbol appeared and within the next few moments, the Nova morphed into their view. Ichigo blinked in surprise at the sight. These things could teleport? No, there was something about the way the Nova disappeared and reappeared that bothered him. And what the hell was that weird noise it was making anyway?

The military continued their assault, firing all the weapons in their arsenal. The Nova responded by deploying one huge Freezing field that not only acted like a barrier, but also was extending at a rapid pace, engulfing the terrain. Seeing this, the dark haired Limiter was quick to respond as he place his palm on the ground and activated his own Freezing field, countering that of the Nova's and protecting everyone from its effects. This of course also had to effect of catching the Novas attention as it seized its new target.

Missiles then flew over the teenager's heads, heading straight for the invader. The aftermath was a huge explosion that blinded everyone. Ichigo couldn't help but thing that these military guys were going overboard with the armament.

The other Limiter slowly agreed with him. "They're using cruising missiles? That's overkill." He spoke unconsciously, his eyes focused on the target in front of him. Unsurprising, the Nova emerged unscathed from this attack as well. Normal human weapons weren't effective at all against the invaders.

Realizing that the military had done all they could, it was time for the Pandoras to begin their own battle. In seconds, both Satellizer and Rana activated their Volt weapons and Ichigo got to see one for the first time in person. The blonde girl's weapon was a giant mid-handled blade with its blade running down the guard, it looked a bit odd, but compared to some of the zanpakutou he had seen it wasn't anything too exaggerate. The other Pandora's Volt Weapon was a pair of steel-plated gauntlets and boots, the substitute assumed she was a Melee type fighter that fights at close range.

"It's too dangerous o fight it head on." Satellizer informed them. Just then, they received another message from the pilots of the chopper informing them of a glacier terminus in the near area. So they plan on using a crevice in the ice block to deal with it.

"I'm going to lure the Nova there." Satellizer turned to everyone. "Rana Linchen, you should..." She didn't even get to finish the sentence.

"We're going to bury it alive, right." The Tibetan Pandora said confidently, already knowing what to do.

"You can always count on me for support, Satella-senpai." Kazuya declared as well, prepared to do anything to help his partner.

Smiling at her comrades, she gave the command. "Let's go." And with that, both her and the Tibetan Pandora dashed to the enemy, Satellizer challenging it head on, while Rana went to the location they had planned to use to trap it. Looking at them run, Ichigo could easily tell they were faster than an Olympic runner.

"Ichigo, let's go." Kazuya told him before he started running as well.

"Right." Ichigo followed him immediately, making sure to match the other boy's pace.

A few hundred feet in front of them, the British Pandora had already reached the Nova and caught its attention, becoming the bait for it. Changing course, she began luring it to their trap, making sure to avoid the many blade whips the invader was attacking her with by jumping around and cutting them with her Nova Blood.

After running for another minute and dodging the Nova, Satellizer reached her destination. Looking to the ground she already saw Rana Linched prepared and ready, her Stigmata Wings already active, giving her a considerable increase in power. Feeling the Nova close, she used an Accel Turn to disappear and reappear next to the other Pandora. That was all the Tibetan Pandora needed to begin the plan.

However, before she could even begin, the Nova used its many blade tendrils to smash the icy walls, effectively destroying the glacier, but instead of falling like the girls intended, it used the debris and created a small avalanche that caught them completely off guard. They used their Volt Weapons to protect themselves, but the huge mass of snow and ice swallowed them.

"Satella-senpai, Rana!" The scream of the 1st Year Limiter could be heard as he and Ichigo arrived at the scene and witnessed the girls being caught up in the attack.

Quickly using his senses, the substitute tried his best to sense their reiatsu. His control may have somewhat improved thanks to Kisuke's pill, but he still needed his full concentration to feel something. To his relief, he was able to find them and they appeared to be moving as well.

Unfortunately, when he finished with his scanning, he noticed that the Nova already had them in its scope. Kazuya was still shocked by the accident. Before he could even say anything, the invader released another barrage of whip like blades to attack them. Both males tried to dodge, Ichigo having a considerably easier time doing it, his honed reflexes proving their worth in such a situation. Kazuya also dodged 2 blades, but was hit by the back of one and sent to the ground.

The substitute noticed this and went to his side. "Kazuya! Oi, wake up!" He shook the boy, but it was clear that he lost consciousness for the time being. Just then, Ichigo glanced at the Nova, noting that it was attacking again. "Crap." In one quick motion, he grabbed the other Limiter and threw him on his shoulder, jumped out of the way of the blades and made a run for it.

Moving at a high pace, Ichigo began cursing. How the hell did it end up like this? Looking behind, he saw that the huge Nova has already on his trail. _"Great, that thing is following me now."_ He was suddenly thankful for Kisuke's pill, with his Shinigami powers at his full disposal he could run so much faster and the Nova couldn't catch up at all. Now all he had to do was to think of a way to handle that huge thing.

Looking around, Ichigo noticed another glacier. Perhaps he could use that. He knew that the Nova already saw the trick once, but he hoped it was smart enough to know that he was a Limiter and therefore nowhere near as threatening as a Pandora. Besides, he planned on catching it off guard in a different way.

With the plan made, Ichigo changed his direction and headed for the location he had in mind. As he reached his destination he slowed down before coming to a complete stop at the edge of the ice formation, looking down, he saw that it was a pretty big drop. _"Yeah, this could work."_ As he thought that, the now familiar but still annoying sound the Nova made entered his ears. Turning around, he was met face to face with the massive body of the Type S invader who already had its many whip blades out and ready to skewer him and the unconscious boy he carried.

The last thing the Nova saw was Ichigo's smirk before he vanished from its sight.

Using a quick Shunpou, Ichigo appeared over 100 feet behind the Nova, their positions now completely different. Laying the boy down on the snow, he checked to see if he was still unconscious. After noting that he still was, he took a few steps towards the alien invader, extending his right arm briefly. In an instant, a blue light formed in his hand as it morphed into his zanpakutou. Holding Zangetsu loosely with one hand, Ichigo saw that the Nova had already found him again as it began turning around. But it was too late.

Tightening his grip, the substitute swung his blade, a shockwave of displaced air imbedded with the reiatsu released by him and his zanpakutou striking in complete harmony fired at the entity. The air wave hit the Nova's chest head on creating a small explosion, the force behind it not only cracked it's armor and revealed its core, but also pushed it back as it almost fell.

Taking advantage of this, Ichigo used another Shunpo to get closer to it. Pointing his sword down, Ichigo trusted it into the icy flour with enough force to shatter the ice in a straight line for several feet, separating the platform the Nova was on from the rest of the glacier. Because of this, the ice broke into pieces, all of which landed on the Nova, burying it with their weight as it fell to the ground below.

Approaching the clearing, he checked to see if his plan worked and he noted with satisfaction that it did. There was only ice and snow in sight and no trace of the huge invader, meaning that it was completely eaten by the debris. Turning around, he started jogging to the hopefully still unconscious boy, his blade already gone as the substitute didn't see it necessary to keep it out more than he should. Reaching the other Limiter, Ichigo shock him, intent on waking him up. They were still out in the cold and the low temperatures could pose a huge thread to him in this conditions.

After a few more shakes, Kazuya started to come back. Blinking, his eyes met the bright orange hair of his senpai. "Ichigo?" He asked confusedly. "What happened?" He managed to get in a sitting position and look around. The events that happened came to him instantly, his eyes widened in shock as he was fully awake.

"Ichigo, where are Satella-senpai and Rana? Are they fine? And where is the Nova?" His avalanche of questions came one after another. And this is why Ichigo hated noisy people, they wouldn't wait for and answer and just keep piling questions. Before Ichigo could respond, he was interrupted by a happy cry.

"Kazuya-kun, Ichigo-san!" Identifying the voice as Rana Linchen, the two males turned and saw her as well as the blonde Pandora approaching them. Both of them had some bruises, but they seemed alright for the most part.

"Satella-senpai, Rana, you're both alright." The dark haired Limiter got on his feet and approached them? "But how? You were swallowed by the snow. How did you get away?" The substitute was curious about that as well.

"We used Accel to get away from the ice, but it took a bit for us make our way through and climb back up." Rana told them happily, before she went to Kazuya to hug him. "I'm glad Kazuya-kun, you are also aright, I was worried." She buried her head in his chest. Back to the usual antics.

"What happened to the Nova?" Satellizer asked as she looked around. This also caused the dark haired pair to stop their banter.

"I don't know, I was unconscious after I got hit by the Nova. Uh, I'm fine now, it's nothing serious." He replied quickly as he saw the two Pandoras give him worried looks. "But I don't know what happened, maybe Ichigo did something to it?" The question was left trailing as everyone was now looking at the orange haired boy.

Feeling the pressure, Ichigo responded. "Yeah, after you got knocked out, I picked you up and made a run for it to this place. The Nova followed us here, but before it could do anything the ice below it broke under its weight and it fell down the precipice there." He pointed at the place where the glacier fell. He hoped that they believed him, he couldn't exactly tell them what really happened.

The blonde haired Pandora didn't look convinced, but said nothing. The same could not be said about Rana. "Oh wow, you carried Kazuya-kun all the way here and made it fall down there? You are really strong!" She exclaimed with admiration, her already wide smile getting even bigger.

Laughing nervously, Ichigo awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "N-no, I'm not really all that." He tried to sound as innocent as possible. But as he thought about it, it seemed that only the Tibetan Pandora was excited about him being able to do all that, the other two seem to have bought his explanation, which meant that Rana too understood what he meant, but was praising him for his own sake.

Abruptly, Satellizer made a dash for the orange haired boy, catching him completely off guard. Before he could even say anything, she pushed him hard. "Watch out!" In that moment, a whip blade trusted at her, tearing her clothes to pieces before she fell to the ground and rolled a few times.

When she got up, another whip blade was heading for her head. She began materializing her Volt Weapon, but she wouldn't make it in time. But the incoming attack was intercepted and destroyed, revealing the figure of West Genetics' strongest Pandora, her gauntlet like Volt Weapon already deployed.

"Chiffon Fairchild?" She exclaimed, before she felt the ground shake. Turning around, she witnessed the large shape of the 'Nova Rising' up from the ice. Getting on her feet, she jumped back to put some distance. In front of her, another familiar Pandora appeared, this one bearing blonde hair, her Volt Weapon being 2 satellites, a Stigmata Satellite System or in short SSS. The owner fired them destroying the incoming blades.

"Elizabeth Mably as well?"

Back to the Limiters, Andre and Yujin had already joined the duo. "Are you alright?" Andre asked, checking for injuries. Ichigo was nearby as well, but he appeared to have gone limb for some reason. He was fine however, so his situation wasn't too worrying.

In front of them, both Chiffon and Elizabeth appeared with an Accel Turn. "Andre, I'll leave him to you." The British Pandora commanded. Her order was responded with an elegant 'Yes, mylady.'

"Satellizer-san and Rana-san, please act as decoys." The 'Unmatched Smiling Monster' ordered the other girls. "I'll be the striker, Elizabeth-san, please be the finisher." All the other Pandoras nodded and prepared for battle. "Eh?" Chiffon exclaimed as she finally got a good look at the Nova. "The Core is already exposed? Continue with the plan, I shall be a decoy as well now."

Under the guidance of Chiffon, both Satellizer and Rana managed to dodge and destroy the whip blades the Nova used to attack them using various combinations of Accel, Tempest and acrobatics with the power of their stigmata. This created enough of a distraction for Elizabeth to use her laser. Hitting the target, the heart of the Nova exploded and with a ball of fire before it fell down for good.

Once the fires have died down, the Pandoras approached the large corpse.

"This is." Chiffon began as she saw the remains. "One of the Dummy Novas rumored to be under development in Alaska." She deduced as she saw the registration number on a metal plate.

Elizabeth then added her own conclusion. "If we assume that this was a field test, them being able to come up with a counterattack so well makes sense now."

"They faked the distress signal, dropped us here without a single word and made us take part in this practice run.." The 2nd Year blonde haired Pandora trailed off, coming to her own summary.

"In other words, we were tested by someone here." She smiled mischievously, feeling traces of amusement and maybe excitement reach her. "I look forward to what else awaits us in Alaska."

Satellizer, who had been staring at the body of the fake Nova, felt someone's eyes on her. Turning back she saw that both Kazuya as well as Ichigo were blushing. But while Ichigo's gaze was averted to the side, the dark haired Limiter was happily staring at her until Rana covered his eyes and began scolding him. Feeling cold all of a sudden, she realized the state of her clothes and immediately covered herself, her face heating up in embarrassment.

"Just re-equip your Volt Texture already?" Chiffon said with amusement, before she turned to the rest of the group. "Shall we head out? There is a helicopter waiting for us." With various nods everyone began walking towards their means of transport.

Ichigo, who was still quiet, shoved his hands in his pockets and followed lazily after them. Catching up, he noticed that Chiffon was waiting for him. "Are you alright?" He heard the brown haired Pandora ask.

"Fine." Was his terse reply.

"Alright, if you're sure." With that, they both started walking after the others, passing the wreckage that was made. Ichigo glanced at it for a moment, suddenly upset that someone from the facility they were requested to visit orchestrated something like this. And for what purpose? To test them? He hoped that his cover would not be blown because of this, the last thing he needed now is to be stuck in this Icy Hell and suddenly discover a mass of scientists that want him as their lab rat while he had no way to escape and with Kisuke being thousands of miles away. He'll have to be on guard once he gets to the facility, damn it, why do things always have to get complicated?

"Ichigo, let's go." He saw the Pandora waiting for him, before she too glance at the metal case of the nova. Smiling at him, she turned around and started walking. "Good job, by the way."

"Eh?" He made a stop as he watched her retreating form. What the hell did she mean by that?

**xxx**

Elsewhere, in the depth of the Alaskan facility, in one of the many laboratories, sat a woman in her late thirties with mauve colored hair and olive eyes, wearing a researcher's lab coat. She was Scarlett Ohara, head of the recently approved E-Pandora project as well as an expert in stigmata development technology being second only to Aoi Gengo. Sitting alone in her laboratory, she gazed at the screen of a computer, the events of what transpired still fresh.

She was the one that orchestrated the test on the Pandoras in hope of learning more about their abilities and use them to enhance her own subject. She also wanted this to prove as an example for the E-Pandoras in both a negative as well as a positive way. That's why she initially planned to have them view this exercise live with her right in this laboratory. However, due to some planning problems they weren't available at the time so she decided on recording the footage and shot it to them

And honestly speaking, she was glad that it turned out this way. She wouldn't know what to do if someone else saw what was recorded. Namely that orange haired boy who not only used what looked like a high end skill, but also materialized what appeared to be a Volt Weapon. What shocked her was the power he wielded, with the pressure created from a single swing he tore through the exoskeleton of the Dummy Nova.

After the mind boggling display, she immediately searched through the files with the students from West Genetics. Finding his because of the attached picture, she took note of his name, Kurosaki Ichigo. Scanning his paper, she noted that he was from Karakura and skimmed through his history briefly. Once she saw who his legal guardian was, her eyes widened. He was the nephew of Urahara Kisuke and Urahara Kisuke was his uncle. Dropping the file on the table, she took her seat again and pondered.

Urahara Kisuke, she knew the name all too well. How could she not? After everything he had done for her, she practically owed him her life. After getting kicked out by Aoi Gengo years ago, he had helped her immensely to start off again, this time with her own personal project, his contribution not only financially, but also intellectually. She could honestly say that if it wasn't for his assistance, she wouldn't be where she is today. Even now she doesn't know why the doctor decided to help her in the first place, but she was grateful. She hadn't seen him in years after they each went on their way, but she heard that he still worked on projects for Chevalier.

Still, the ability his nephew displayed. What was it? Did the doctor found a way for Limiters to use high end skills as well as Volt Weapons, in other words replicating the power of a Pandora? She had no answers to these questions, only the blond doctor could answer them. But why would he enroll him to a Genetics facility then? Did he want to test him? Whatever the case, she received no information about such a possible project from Chevalier so it is most likely still a secret and from the looks of it, the scientist intended to keep it that way for now. Now was the question, what should she do? She was the only witness who recorded the event, she could either expose it or keep Urahara Kisuke's secret.

She began thinking of her own project, the one she kept in the shadows from both Aoi Gengo and Chevalier. Pondering a few more seconds as she saw an image of the orange haired boy on the screen, she released a breath. In the end, it was a simple decision to make. Splitting the video into multiple parts, she selected those that contained the footage with the orange haired boy and pressed the delete button. Any evidence of his ability was destroyed as she remained the only live witness. Whatever the doctor may have planned, she would believe in him, she respected him that much.

Just then, he heard the door from behind open and the sound of footsteps echoing in the room.

"We've arrived doctor." The voice of a girl was hear, one of her E-Pandoras. "We apologize for not being able to come sooner."

Turning to greet them, Scarlett smiled at them. "It's fine, I have already recorded the battle. Watch carefully girls and see what abilities Pandoras possess." With that, she turned to the screen and made the video with the test run play.

As she got close to see the video, one of the girls saw a file on the doctor's table with the edge of her eye. Glancing at it briefly, she saw the image of a boy, with orange hair? That was a weird color to have, but she had red hair before and now white hair so maybe she shouldn't stress too much on it. But what caught her attention was the strength in his eyes, for some reason it reminded her of herself.

Shaking her head, she turned to the screen and concentrated on the action.

**xxx**

Meanwhile, Ichigo and the rest of the group from West Genetics were on a ferry and heading towards the facility. While the others were goofing off or talking about the E-Pandora project, he heard the name from Elizabeth, he stood with his back on the wall deep in though.

Aside from the risk of already being discovered, which he already decided that he would wait and see how it would turn out, he also realized that he had been lucky. When the Nova attacked him by surprise he had been shocked, shocked that he had not sensed it move, shocked that the blonde haired Pandora, who he believed hated him, risked her life and pushed him out of the way without hesitation. But he was the most shocked when he realized that after seeing the British Pandora in danger, he was an instant away from summoning his zanpakutou and literally unleashing Hell on that Nova and blowing his entire cover. At that moment he didn't care about it, he didn't care if he would have had to use the biggest Getsuga he could release in order to save her. He was really lucky that he had sensed Chiffon when he did, he could have blown it big time then.

A loud bang broke his train of thought as he turned his head to the source of the noise. Weirdly, the bespectacled Pandora was on the ground, apparently she tripped on something and fell. She was now clumsily searching for her glasses. On the side, he heard Elizabeth scold Rana lightly. Releasing a breath he moved and approached the still searching Pandora.

Picking up her glasses, he gave them to her. "Here you go." Taking them, she put them on, her vision improving as she met face to face with the scowling boy. Getting on his feet, he extended his hand to help her up.

She was confused, what was he doing? Before she could respond she panicked when she felt her hand being grabbed and her body being lifted by his firm yet gentle pull. Once on her feet, the boy released her hand and she immediately brought it in her other palm, close to her chest. What was going on? His touch, she didn't feel disgusted by it. Was he alright, like Kazuya? Embarrassed, she glanced at him only to see the boy looking away, cheeks slightly red with a finger scratching them awkwardly.

"Uhm. Thanks, for saving me back then." He said it with some difficulty, somewhat embarrassed by this action.

"Eh?" Her own cheeks now flushed, not expecting to hear this from the orange haired Limiter. "I-it's nothing. You don't need to t-thank me, we're all comrades here who fight together." She looked away, playing with her legs to distract herself.

Ichigo blinked, perhaps he misjudged her. If she would jump in and save him only for the fact that he's her comrade then maybe she's not the cold girl he first thought she was. "Alright then, but I owe you one now." He gave her a smile.

The British Pandora nodded and returned his gesture with a small smile as well.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. Other than some more banter between Satellizer and Rana over who would get Kazuya, Ichigo was briefed more on the project by Chiffon and Elizabeth and found out what it was all about. Making normal humans compatible with stigmata. Apparently, not everyone could just use stigmata and become a Pandora, a compatibility test needed to be held on a girls 14th birthday to determine whether or not she would be fit to join Chevalier. He wondered if such a thing was available for Limiters as well, Kisuke did put him through something that tested his compatibility.

Arriving at the base, they were transported to their buildings by some military Humvees. After registering, they were each sent to their rooms and told to report to the main hall with casual clothes or whatever they would find comfortable. Getting in his room, Ichigo noticed that it was just like the one at Genetics, for one person only, but the lack in quality was also visible. Not that he cared much, if he had a bed and a bathroom he was good to go. He didn't even bother to unpack since they would only be staying a couple of days, so he just threw his duffle bag on the bed and searched for something to wear.

Exiting the room, he settled for a pair of black tight jeans, a white shirt and a dark purple jacket. They wanted casual, they got it. At the entrance of the main hall he saw Chiffon there waiting for the rest to gather. As soon as Kazuya, Satellizer and Rana arrived, they all entered.

The orange haired boy was surprised by what he saw, it wasn't an army of scientists ready to begin work, no, it was a party. An actual freaking party. Did they go to the room wrong?

"Wow, look at all these people?" Rana exclaimed in her usual upbeat voice having never seen so many persons at one in the same place.

"They're all talented Pandora like yourself from Genetics facilities from all over the world." Chiffon informed her. "You didn't know?" She asked her innocently only to receive a nervous laugh.

"Chiffon!" the voice was heard as they turned around to see a well endowed girl with reddish pink hair and blue eyes approach them. "It's been a while hasn't it? We haven't seen each other since the World Carnival." Arriving at them she smiled brightly at the older Pandora.

"I guess it has been that long."

"Yeah, you really whopped me that time, but this time, Roxanne Ellipton will show you what she's got." What almost sounded like a threat, but between the two girls it was like a friendly rivalry going on. "Oh, you even have your younger classmates here?" She took notice of hem

"You guys don't know here yet, do you? She is Roxanne Ellipton from Genetics America, US." Chiffon then began the introductions. He briefly wondered how many he will have to go through today. Roxanne was kinda weird and blunt if he were honest, but seemed nice enough. She even commended on the sacrifices Kazuya's family had to go through for humanity to make it this far. He also used this opportunity to learn that Kazuya was in fact the grandson of Aoi Gengo, the Head Researcher of Chevalier and the guy who invented the Pandora system.

Of course, he overlooked how the American Pandora tried to fondle Satellizer's breasts, claiming that she was very interested on why she was called the 'Untouchable Queen'. That ended with Chiffon grabbing her and beginning one of her lectures on how one should never do that to the British Pandora unless they had a death wish before she began apologizing in earnest. Then came a reply from the blonde Pandora in question that left nearly everyone speechless.

"I understand." She spoke slowly as she shyly covered her chest. "I was just a bit surprised." Roxanne blushed, finding the display to be one of the cutest she had ever seen while the other Pandora were trying to figure out what caused the usually volatile blonde to mellow out.

There was something that caught Ichigo's attention however. "You're ranked number two in the world?" Seeing her nod and smile proudly, he had to be impressed. "Damn, that's pretty impressive. So who is ranked number one then?" He tried imagining who might be the strongest Pandora or how she might look like. Perhaps someone scary that could instill fear even on someone like Kenpachi, someone like...

"That would be me." Chiffon answered with a smile which caused Ichigo to slowly turn to her, his mouth halfway to the floor due to his shock.

"You're number one in the world?" Ichigo asked in surprise as she pointed a finger at the now revealed strongest Pandora. "How come you never said anything until now?"

Gently, she cupped her right cheek in her palm and leaned into it to hide an embarrassed blush that was farming. "Well, there was no reason for me to do so. The subject never came up in our discussions." She responded innocently.

Before Ichigo could say something else, Roxanne asked him a surprising question.

"So who is your Pandora partner?" Ichigo's lef eyebrow twitched in annoyance at that. The same question that he kept getting. Why was it so important to have a Pandora partner anyway?

"I don't have one." He said plainly.

"No partner?" She exclaimed raising an eyebrow in surprise. "But you're a 3rd Year, how can you not have a partner until now? I mean sure, you're kinda scary, but if Chiffon has no problem with you being around her you can't be that bad." She reasoned, still confused by the setting.

"Look, I just transferred 3 weeks ago. I have a lot of catch up to do so I didn't exactly have time to get a partner." He replied irritably.

"Alright, if you say so." The 'Immortal' Pandora conceded. "But you best hurry up and find someone, time is running out you know?" She gave her advice.

"Yeah, I know. Believe me, Chiffon and Elizabeth already told me." He couldn't say anything else as the light suddenly closed, the entire auditorium darkening.

In front of all the Pandoras, a woman stepped in the light and began speaking at a microphone. "Pandora from all over the globe as well as well as every Limiter. First of all, I would like to extend my gratitude to all of you for being in the front lines for the sake of mankind's future and existence. I am the chief researcher of the E-Pandora Project, Scarlett Ohara." This caused whispers to be heard throughout the room.

The woman continued. "The official name of this project is 'Evolution Pandora', a project aimed at evolving Pandoras. As you all know, the current Pandora system can use women who are born with stigmata compatibility. As such, it became their duty, no, destiny serve as mankind's soldiers without the option of refusal. Just being born with bodies compatible with stigmata they are forced to sacrifice their lives for the sake of mankind and cast aside their happiness for the sake of the planet. For that I respect all you who chose to serve on this noble mission from the bottom of my heart, not as director of this project, but as a part of humanity. Yet in spite of all the sacrifices made, the 'Nova Rising' threat seems to be growing and with the decreasing number of stigmata compatible women, the future of mankind is at a great risk."

"That is why I've created the E-Pandora Project. If we are able to raise the compatibility of a regular person to the point where they can use the mass produced stigmata, we won't longer need to rely on the small percentage of people who are naturally compatible. The time has come for humanity to share the heavy trials you have been burdened with and fight against our common enemy, the Nova. That's why I ask of you to lend me your strength and make this project work!" With her speech ended, the scientist breathed heavily, waiting for the reactions.

Almost immediately, the entire auditorium filled with claps from the multitude of Pandoras and Limiters.

Scarlett smiled at them. "Today's party is not a military event, but the expression of my gratitude to all of you. Please enjoy tonight to your heart's content so that we may work together starting tomorrow." With her last words said, the scientist waved at the crowd before exiting the scene.

Ichigo finished his clapping pretty quickly, the E-Pandora project sure sounded nice, but as he learned since he first decided to stab himself through the heart with a sword from a stranger, not everything went as planned. There he goes again, sounding like Aizen. At any rate, he wasn't kidnapped yet and brought to interrogation because of his abilities so he guessed that he was fine for now.

"Something's bothering me." He heard Roxanne speak next to him. "Is turning a normal human in a Pandora really possible? I've heard that the leader of this project is still at odds with Aoi Gengo, something about this project lacking morals. Besides, they said that a lot of ground was covered even before this project was approved by Chevalier and it seemed that it was Dr. Scarlett Ohara herself that funded the project."

"So you're saying they did some crazy things to be approved?" Ichigo asked, surprised by the knowledge the American Pandora had, but also a bit weary.

"Worse than that. It means that they're dabbled in human experimentation, doesn't it?" She told him straight on.

Human experimentation? The substitute couldn't help but be reminded of Shinji and the other Vizards when he heard that. Damn it, he hoped that this was not the case here as well, the last thing they needed were overpowered humans with Pandora abilities going out of control.

"But now that I've seen what this is about, it seems that it's nothing but some disinformation." She then turned around to look at a table behind her. "Still, they don't really look too welcoming of us. I mean, aren't we the starts of the party?"

Looking in said direction, the orange haired boy noticed a table that was far out from the rest where some girls were staying, but unlike the other Pandoras, they seemed to be glaring at everyone else. Only a single girl wasn't displaying the same ill intent as the other. The girl in question had long, white-silver hair with a single crimson bang at the front. Her eyes were closed as she seemed to tune out the world around her.

Ichigo frowned, getting the feeling that things will get really complicated in the near future.

**xxx**

**Chapter End.**

AN: Man, that took a while. I'm really not good with updating on time, my laziness is really becoming a serious problem. I would like to apologize for that, I'll try my best to improve on that.

That aside, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I tried my best to get to this point since this was my target, but I had to cut off a bit of dialogue to finish this fast. Hope you won't mind. So here we are, the E-Pandora arc, the point in the story where the intro is over and the plot will really begin...at least that's my plan. And it took me what? Almost a year to get done with the intro, that's pretty ridiculous. It also took this long for Ichigo to get some action, nothing big to start off, but I hope you enjoyed it. Someone told me a while ago that I shouldn't reveal Ichigo's power right off the bat, but I have to build some build up to make it more epic and that's what I plan on doing. I will say that he will fight a bit more seriously sometime during this arc. And just to be sure, in the brief fight scene with the Nova, Ichigo did not use Getsuga Tenshou. If you remember the practice swing he used against Ginjou, then it's the same thing.

BTW, can you guys guess the pair now? You probably shouldn't yet, but I'm asking out of curiosity. I'll repeat, Ichigo will be paired with only one girl and will only be interested in that one girl. Of course that's not to say other won't take an interest in him (as you've probably seen this chapter). He has a strong resolve and with his power, he can be quite attractive to the Pandora.

Oh and a small tip. Everything that happens in the story, be it action or dialogue, will be important in the future and will play a part in evolving the plot.

So as always, please tell me what you think of the chapter, if the characters were fine and if I made grammar mistakes. I've edited the previous chapter a bit as well, hopefully it is a bit better now.

Also, I've picked out a theme song for my story (don't ask). The song is called 'Time is Running Out' by Papa Roach. I think it fits well with the theme of the story (mostly Ichigo).

That's it for now. Don't forget to review, follow or favorite if you like the story. Until next time (whenever that may be).

Bye bye.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: If you guys thought the wait for the previous chapter was something, this chapter is a new record. Not that it's a good thing or anything like that, but...well, just enjoy.

**Chapter 5 - Come Around Our Turn**

**xxx**

Walking on the corridor leading to his assigned room, Ichigo was accompanied by Chiffon, Elizabeth and their respective Limiters. After the party had finished everyone was ordered to return to their rooms with the instructions that they should be ready to begin the cooperation the following day. That meant that he and the rest of the 3rd Year Pandora from West Genetics will be separated from Satellizer's group. The redheaded American Pandora, Roxanne, left with a cheerful goodbye, but not before telling the rest of them to do their best. Ichigo had to hand it to her, she could handle herself under pressure quite well.

And speaking of pressure, the rising tension between the Pandora and E-Pandora during the party could be felt by everyone in the room. Not to mention the fact that the host girls spent no more than 15 minutes at the event before they made a quick retreat to their quarters, presumably. Interacting with their fellow 'comrades' didn't appear to be an option in their agenda as they made no attempt to socialize or exchange words with their guests. In response, the Pandora made no attempt to initialize a connection either and were put off and annoyed by the hostility and distrust they were receiving from their 'hosts'.

It was safe to say that both groups had not started on the best foot as far as amiable relationships between the Pandora and E-Pandora were concerned. A fact which the 'Monster' of West Genetics, who highly valued camaraderie, commented upon.

"I hope we'll be able to work together with the E-Pandora. It'll be bad if we won't be able to cooperate and compromise the whole project." Chiffon voiced out her concerns. The future of mankind depended on this project. As a Pandora it was her duty to make sure that the project will be brought to fruition.

Next to her, the blonde Pandora gave her an encouraging smile as she presented her reasoning to her classmate. "I'm sure everything will turn out well. Even if feelings of resentment are present in the first few days, as we begin to work together and show progress there is bound to be a change in behavior and mannerism. Bonds will be formed as well as a stronger sense of companionship. We are fighting for the same cause and regardless of what we might want, we are all in this together."

The brown haired Pandora smiled at that. She could always count on West Genetics' second strongest Pandora to cheer her up with a calm, calculated and otherwise realistic analysis of their current standing. "I see. And what about you Ichigo? What do you think of this whole matter with the E-Pandora?" She addressed the orange haired substitute that was casually walking slightly ahead of them in a relaxed manner.

Said boy, upon hearing the question, stopped whatever though he had at the moment and raised his shoulders in a bored matter. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" He ventured his thoughts. "We aren't really enemies with them though, we just had a bad start. It'll work out in the end like Elizabeth said, we are fighting the same enemy after all." Most of this was speaking from previous experience. Before being officially recognized as an ally of Soul Society, during his rescue mission when he saved Rukia he was viewed as their enemy and fought against them, that was until Aizen revealed himself and betrayed the Gotei 13. Since then he had become their comrade, fought together in a war and even helped him regain his powers. If anything, Ichigo learned that people, no matter how stubborn, can change with time.

"Is that so? Well, if you put it like that then I suppose that there is no reason to worry. Thank you." Chiffon said, satisfied that here concerns were answered.

At that moment Ichigo turned his head in her direction. "Still, I'm just a Limiter here. I can't really speak for either the Pandora or E-Pandora." Since he arrived at West Genetics, he noticed that there was an unspoken hierarchy between the students, more specifically, between the Pandora and Limiter. Pandora seemed to be the commanding ones, seeing as they did the actual combat and were physically enhanced because of their stigmata, while the Limiter handled the support with their Freezing Field. As such, he noted that the Pandora tended to have a more important role in decisions and were more dominant that the opposite gender.

"That's alright." The 'Monster' gave him a serene smile. "I'm sure that you're right. After all, we're best friends and I highly value your opinion, you know." She spoke cheerfully, a glint of mirth in her closed eyes and happy voice.

"Huh?" The voice of the substitute was heard as his expression twisted in a comical fashion reflecting not only confusion, but also disbelief. "Best friends? Since when?" He asked curiously as he turned to look at her, completely stopping himself and everyone else in place. It was true that he did spend most of his time with Chiffon or Ticy since his enrolment into the Academy and that he got along well with them, but he hadn't thought that they had become such good friends as Chiffon was suddenly claiming.

In response, the short haired Pandora adopted a saddened expression. "What? But I thought Ticy and I were your best friends. Are you saying we aren't, Ichigo?"

Confused and baffled by this, the orange haired boy was unsure of what to say. "We are friends." He clarified softly seeing her discouraged form. "But I wouldn't go as far as calling us best friends..." He added that warily as he scratched the back of his head while looking to his left side. Seriously, where was she getting this? But if he thought about it, his old friends didn't count anymore seeing that he was in the future and he had decided not to interfere with them. The others were in Soul Society serving in the Gotei 13 and he wouldn't go as far as calling Kisuke his best friend, even with the prospect of them sharing a stronger friendship than before. So if he took all that into account then he supposed that Chiffon and Ticy were his best friends as far as West Genetics was concerned, being his classmates and hanging out together.

As he was measuring relationships on an imaginary chart in his head, he was startled by the sound of a whimpering Chiffon who had apparently started crying at his harsh words, hurt evident in her voice.

Seeing as he made a girl cry, Ichigo blinked in surprise before he panicked and started uttering apologies and consoling words in a distressed manner. "W-wait! You're crying? S-stop it. Look, I'm sorry alright!" He stuttered his words, uncertain on what to do to handle this mess. "I-I mean, you're right Chiffon. We are best friends and I'm grateful for all you've done for me since I arrived at the Academy. So you can stop crying now." He gave he what looked like a hopeful smile.

"Really? Do you mean it Ichigo?" The brown haired Pandora stopped from her tear spilling act and asked the substitute. At his hesitant nod she did a complete 180, her face morphing into a bright sunny smile, her hands uniting together at the front in a cute manner. "That's sweet of you. Thank you."

Her words however didn't register as strongly as her new transition to her new, vibrant disposition. He stood and watched with his mouth agape at the girl and how she shifted between grief and bliss so easily like it was all just an act. Just then, he heard a muffled sound coming from the other Pandora accompanying them and upon a closer look he noticed that she had her hand covering her mouth in an admirable, yet otherwise ineffective attempt to cover her mirth. As his brown eyes danced around, the substitute also remarked how the other two Limiters were in a similar condition, though unlike the blonde haired girl they were both showing better restraint.

As confused as ever, Ichigo returned his gaze to the 'Monster', only to find her covering her giggles in a fashion not unlike Elizabeth's. "I'm sorry Ichigo. I couldn't help myself." She managed to say between forced breaths. It immediately hit him at that point that what just occurred in the last two minutes was nothing more than a small play directed by Chiffon in a small attempt to pull an innocent prank on him.

Enlightened, the orange haired boy's shoulders slumped along with his face as it dropped its previous surprised expression and settled for his familiar scowl with the slight alteration of it having a more annoyed accent. The substitute grumbled something incorrigible under his breath before he turned around and continued the walk, sulking silently to himself. The others were quick to follow.

Behind Ichigo, Chiffon leaned a bit closer to her Pandora classmate until her lips were near the blonde girl's left ear. "Arnett was right, he is so amusing to tease. I wonder why I never tried it before." The 'Monster' whispered amusedly while glancing at the boy's back.

"I know." Elizabeth agreed with her. "His reactions are so honest and innocent, they're great." Even now as she observed him sulk from behind him, she imagined what his visual expression might be and suppressed a giggle when the image of him pouting with a scowl conjured. Other times she would have worried that when Limiter was too emotional that nervousness would transfer itself to the battlefield and potentially compromise the safety of his fellow Pandora and Limiters. Now on the other hand she knew that even such individuals were capable of great potential, Aoi Kazuya being one such example with his ability of using a powerful Freezing Field despite being unbaptised. And for some reason, she felt that Ichigo held great potential as well, he wouldn't have been accepted into West Genetics as a 3rd Year otherwise.

Eventually, the group destination and began splitting up. The Elizabeth went with Andre into their designated room And Chiffon bid him a 'Good Night' when they reached Ichigo's room. Returning the gesture, Ichigo watched the pair consisting of Chiffon an Eugene retreat before he entered his quarters in the facility. As the door closed behind him, he couldn't help but snort at his surroundings. On top of having a entire room all for himself, it was almost as lavishly equipped as the one at the Boy's Dorms from West Genetics. He could almost bet his zanpakutou that it was all because of his 'uncle' as an act of kindness and love towards his dear 'nephew'. Sarcasm aside though, it was a very nice room and he wasn't about to complain about it.

Checking the time, Ichigo noted that it was still early, not that he could tell from the weather outside since there was still light and was informed that it would be that way until close to 11 PM. After a bit of asking around, he found out that the base was constructed in a remote and secret place somewhere in an area called Anchorage, which had a relatively normal day-night ratio. Not that he'd call a day lasting 20 hours normal, but maybe it was just him being too used to the cycles in Karakura. At any rate, he now had to find a way to occupy his remaining time until he'd eventually turn in for the night. After pondering whether he should study for his future exams or read more about the Nova Clashes, he settled for just reading the reports of the previous battles.

Nearly an hour later, the substitute was on his bed going through the files of the 4th Nova Clash, a pair of earplugs playing his favorite music as his eyes followed the content of the documents. Kisuke was right, modern technology wasn't all that hard once you got the hang of it, at least when it came to simple matters. Finishing the last page, he pulled the plugs out of his ears before releasing a breath. The end of the 4th Nova Clash had apparently brought a great casualty to humanity as the first Pandora, Maria Lancelot, was lost in battle. The invaders were repelled thanks to her sacrifice, but against future threats they were vulnerable. It was at that time in 2015 when the scientist, Aoi Gengo, introduced his Pandora Project that was still being used today. So mankind had been fighting and struggling for about half a century against these enemies that appeared out of nowhere. He didn't give it much thought at first, but after reading all these reports it was becoming clear to him how serious things were.

As he was musing his thoughts on the matter, he was interrupted by a knock on his door. Shaking his surprise aside on who would visit him, he got off the bed and went to open the door. On the other side it turned out to be none other than Chiffon with Eugene.

"Hello Ichigo, I know it's a bit late, but I hope I'm not disturbing you from anything." The Pandora spoke a bit nervously, hoping for a positive answer.

The substitute shook his head. "Nah, I was just reading a bit to pass the time. Really, it's fine, you're not bothering me at all." He replied honestly.

Her expression brightened visibly at his words as a smile claimed her face. "That's great then. Well, the reason I came was to invite you to the pool they have here. So what do you say?" She asked him, her voice carrying a degree of expectancy.

"The pool? I don't know..." He trailed off as he thought about it. For reasons unknown to him, he actually did pack a pair of swimming trunks in his luggage, one that he bought when he went out and met with Arnett and the rest of the group. Be it because he didn't notice it or maybe some after effect from all the teasing Yoruichi gave him or maybe because something in him changed, he had no clue. The fact was that he had a pair of red swimming trunks somewhere in his things.

At his uncertain answer, Chiffon decided to apply her secret tactic, her best impression of the devastating 'puppy dog eyes'. As such, she brought her hand together in a beseeching manner and began pleading innocently. "Please Ichigo. Elizabeth and Andre will be there as well and we'll all be happy if you would join us." Despite contradicting the tactic's name with her closed eyes, the effects were still strong as her soft and cute features coupled with her hurt voiced still carried enough allure to sway most men.

Ichigo watched her for a few moments, feeling the pressure of her technique before he finally relented. "Alright, fine, I'll go. I've got nothing better to do anyway." He replied defensively as he averted his gaze and retreated into his room. "Just wait a bit so I can get my things." He then started going through the various clothing items he brought.

Mentally congratulating herself, Chiffon smiled at her victory. "Just your trunks and a towel will do." She advised seeing as neither she nor Eugene had much more. Moments later, the orange haired boy appeared in the doorway with a black towel and his swimming trunks in his hand.

"Let's go." Ichigo said simply before he locked his door and followed the couple to the swimming pool.

**xxx**

In a nearby room from the same facility, a blonde haired Pandora was trying to come to terms with her current situation. If she were honest with herself, she wasn't pleased with how things evolved in these past hours. It all started because of the Tibetan Pandora's complaining about their initial rooming arrangements, more specifically about the British Pandora sharing a room with Kazuya. To try and make things better for them, Kazuya compromised his position and chose to let the two girls share the room while he took the other one meant for Rana in order to avoid any conflict between them. And now, because of that she was stuck in the same room with said Pandora.

However, as opposed to having Rana complain constantly if they had gone with their original arrangements, she supposed that this was the lesser of two evils. At least things would remain somewhat civil between her and the Tibetan Pandora and Kazuya did say that he was going to spend time in their room, though it irked her that she couldn't get a chance to be just the two of them alone. In that regard, Rana was the very definition of an annoying third wheel to her, always meddling in her relationship with Kazuya.

After Kazuya had left to unpack and after a 5 minute glaring contest with Rana that ended with no victor, both girls went to do the same. It was then when they were visited by East Genetics' very own top Pandora, Cassie Lockheart, and her Limiter, Kyouichi. After exchanging pleasantries and after a rather embarrassing proclamation from the Limiter who in his passion, offered himself or rather his life to the British Pandora. Baffled by this development, Satellizer was at a loss of what to say. Happily however, Cassie took matters into her own when she started teasing him about Kyouichi offering himself to women other than her. It ended with the two of them laughing while the spectators fondly admired their close relationship.

Another subject brought by the green haired Pandora was how several mock battles will be held the following day between the Pandora and E-Pandora or 'Evolution Pandora' going by their formal name. It was decided by the staff as a way to see how their project was faring against an ordinary Pandora in a small Carnival right there at the Alaskan base.

This Project brought many doubts to Satellizer about the way it was being handled. Even the concept itself of turning regular humans into Pandora by implanting stigmata into them and then artificially raising the compatibility rate was worrying. Given that for a regular human just having the stigmata was stressing enough, pumping them up even more seemed almost impossible. Their bodies would not last the corrosive effects the stigmata had on them.

Shaking her head to clear her negative thoughts, the blonde haired Pandora resumed her current ordeal which was getting to the pool. After their rather serious discussion on the E-Pandora Project, the American Pandora kindly asked her and her roommate if she wished to join her for a swim or just relax on the side. The dark haired Pandora happily accepted and after a few moments of debating, the blonde Pandora took the offer as well.

That brought Satellizer where she was. After getting her own swimsuit, she followed the other two girls to the pool. Cassie's Limiter opted out for some reason, but that didn't bother his partner much as she was not alone, but with her friends. With that settled, they went on their way until they reached the lockers where they changed into their swimsuits, each girl having a different preference altogether when it came to clothing. Cassie went for a 2 piece blue and white striped swimsuit while Rana's was a predominantly red 2 piece. The blonde Pandora kept close to the other girls showing up with a 2 piece as well, hers being white with a bit of pink at the top of her bra and between the breasts.

Once they reached the pool, they were amazed. This being a military facility with a laboratories and all that, they didn't expect the sight that was before them. A completely spectacular place with various sized pools in different shapes, some vegetation specific to a much warmer climate like palm trees and such and even a small waterfall. All in all, it was pretty amazing and after getting some drinks from a bar that was on the side they began relaxing and indulging themselves in the pampering provided for them.

"This feel so nice." The green haired Pandora purred as her body melted in the warm water of one of the many pools available. Next to her was the British Pandora who sat on the side of the pool, simply preferring to wet her long legs just a little bit. Meanwhile, a few feet away, Rana sat in the pool as if she owned it, an expression of carefree bliss akin to her nature plastered on her face.

With the corner of her eyes, Satellizer noticed her classmates from the 3rd Year also had the idea to relax at the pool. At another pool she could recognize the familiar faces of Chiffon and Elizabeth with their respective Limiters and surprisingly, she also took note of the bright orange hair of the new Limiter. _"Kurosaki Ichigo."_ His name came to her automatically. A puzzling boy in her opinion. Transferring as a 3rd Year was weird in of itself considering that by this time most Limiters would have a Pandora partner and would be able to use the Ereinbar Set proficiently. He had so much catching up to do it almost seemed like an impossible task to her, he didn't even have a partner yet. Even if he was talented, it still seemed like a hard task and most wouldn't have bothered with it. Perhaps there was an ulterior motive behind this or maybe even something personal, she couldn't tell at this time.

Another questioning ordeal was this Alaskan trip as well. Why would the higher brass decide to send him considering that there hasn't been even a month since he enrolled and lacked a Pandora partner. Was it so that he could gain experience faster by being sent on various missions alongside the Pandora? If that was the case then it seemed to her that he was being a bit favored compared to other students. It was well known that he was a relative to a scientist of Chevalier and that probably helped him with both his transfer and this trip.

It wasn't that she had anything against him. Granted, they never really talked other than what was necessary for their duty, but he didn't strike her as the type that would flaunt his status or behave rudely. Appearance wise he may look threatening with his scowl and unruly orange hair, yet it was earlier during the day that he managed to help Kazuya somehow when they fought that Dummy Nova and on the ship he even came to her aid when she was searching for her glasses. Even more surprising, he thanked her for her actions during the fight and even went as far as saying that he owed her a favor. At that time she realized that he was actually a decent person if a bit informal with his mannerism. She began questioning why their teacher was behaving herself as if he was a troublemaker. If anything, she was more of a troublemaker than him, given her past record which was, admittedly, not a good one. But she was improving though and it was all thanks to the dark haired boy who became her Limiter. Just standing up to Louis and fighting against his chain like clutches required a degree of courage that she could never posses on her own, but at the time Kazuya's words gave her strength, enough so that she could stand up to him and finally free herself from the mental claws he had on her.

Suddenly embarrassed, she began to vigorously shake her head, her porcelain cheeks tinted with a rosy coloring. The blonde Pandora was getting sidetracked, again. This always happened whenever she began thinking of her Limiter and it was starting to bother her more and more. Taking a breath to calm her nerves and feelings, she glanced at the Third Year party and focused on the orange haired boy again, hoping that thoughts of Kazuya wouldn't mess with her feelings. And since she was at that subject, she remembered that the Third Year Limiter had actually touched her earlier in the day. It wasn't anything perverse as he was just helping her get on her feet by pulling her hand. Initially, she was surprised by the sensation, which felt like an electric shock, but afterwards, after this gesture registered into her mind, she didn't feel threatened nor disgusted. In comparison to Kazuya's touch, which was a warm almost liquefying sensation that could almost reach and seep into her heart, his was more solid and rather than trying to reach her, it was almost as if it was trying to surround her, to form a barrier that would stop anything from reaching her instead. But even so, it wasn't a heavy, crushing feeling, it was light and comforting, she could even call it pleasant.

Glancing down at the water in front of her, she watched the water shine brightly at her feet, unaware that her companions were staring at her. Trying to make sense of these new sensations was so different than what she was used to. Before, it was very easy. It came down to 'everything felt disgusting, don't let anyone approach and touch, at all costs'. Simple and effective, but now that there was not only one, but two people that touched her and felt pleasant, she had to work out all these alien sensations that were downright confusing. It was then when she noticed Cassie look at her with a worried look, no doubt because of a disgruntled face she may have made because of her thought.

"Are you alright?" The green haired Pandora asked. "You're still thinking about the E-Pandora Project and the mock battle tomorrow, aren't you?" It was mostly a guess on her part, but she couldn't think of anything else that would bother the blonde girl.

Releasing another breath, the British Pandora answered while gazing in front of her. "No, but it's still a matter of concern. Will everyone really be able to become a Pandora now thanks to this project?" All previous thoughts gone from hear mind, she began wondering about this E-Pandora Project again. This brought a frown on her face. It just didn't sit right with her, it all seemed too convenient, too simple.

"Why the long face?" Rana asked seeing the other two girls downcast at the mention of the project. "Didn't Elizabeth-san say that this will help refill the holes in our ranks?" Being the optimistic girl she was, the Tibetan Pandora didn't understand why her friends were so worried. All they had to do was make this whole project work by helping with whatever was needed and everything would be alright. As if a rush of excitement went through her, she bolted on her legs from a sitting position, eager to say more on the topic and cheer everyone up. "Plus, if we can help create a stronger type of Pandora, I'll gladly help!"

Observing her for a few moments, Satellizer just released a breath and closer her eyes. "Must be nice to see everything through such rose colored glasses." She said offhandedly, clearly believing that the dark haired Pandora was seeing things too positively and wasn't even thinking of the possibility of something going bad.

"You're just too negative all the time." Rana commented, not pleased with that response, but not entirely bothered by it. "That's why you never got to do a baptism." She also took the opportunity to berate the blonde's nature, if only slightly.

At those words, the blonde girl felt herself jump in surprise. Cassie, who was next to her, was also surprised to hear this. "You haven't done the baptism yet?" She asked curiously.

"No, I haven't." Satellizer Replied quietly as she began looking down, embarrassed by the change in topic. Her face was hidden under her hair, the emotions she tried suppressing not 5 minutes ago were coming full force and were making her anxious.

"Isn't Aoi Kazuya-san your Limiter?" Cassie asked again as she exited the pool and sat next to her. She was always under the impression that the dark haired Limiter held the blonde Pandora in high regards by the way he was acting around her.

"Well, he sort of is my Limiter, but not really yet." The blonde Pandora could feel her voice shake as she spoke, this sudden attention to her and Kazuya's Limiter status making her feel exposed, hence why she brought her hands in her lap in an attempt to cover herself from being too exposed emotionally.

Seeing this as another opportunity to one up her rival, Rana smiled mischievously and continued with her words. "It won't ever happen because of your hesitation to take your relationship to the next level." And as if to emphasize her words, she pressed both hands on her cheeks and blushed gleefully, her voice becoming all to suggestively. "You're just scared to do this and that with him." She commented with a dreamy expression, envisioning herself in a fantasy with the boy in question.

Hearing those words, the blonde Pandora's nerves couldn't take it anymore and began, with a face as red as it could be and a trembling voice, to argue with the Tibetan Pandora.

**xxx**

Ichigo had been to the pool before at Karakura with some of his friends and it honestly hadn't been a bad experience. So when he agreed to visit the one this Alaskan base had, he didn't really expect much given that it was a military facility and all that. As he arrived from the changing lockers though, he stopped at the entrance as his legs just halted when his eyes absorbed the sight before him. He couldn't even decide on where to start with how amazing everything looked, but if he had a choice, the open sky feature was definitely his favorite as he could see the glow of the moon above him.

Though there was also something that bothered him. For some reason or another, he was extremely uncomfortable where he stood. It was not from the pool, definitely no, but he could almost feel a shiver run down his spine as if he had a ghost right behind him, breathing next to his neck. It was almost as if he was being cornered by something and gazed upon. There were no hollows he could sense, nor was there any strange reiatsu that he could make out. So what was making him so uncomfortable?

"Ichigo-san?" He was then snapped back into attention by the other male that accompanied him, Eugene. He glanced at the boy who appeared to be somewhat confused on his abrupt stop.

"I'm fine." Ichigo assured him after he returned to his normal mood. "Come on." He marched towards the place where he saw a familiar short browned hair girl waving for them. _"Chiffon."_ He remarked. As he walked, he carefully looked around to inspect the place, but found it hard to do so every time his eyes landed on a Pandora sporting an incredibly revealing bikini. In those moments, he would turn his head and stare forward, trying to ignore the heat in his cheeks and suppress anything that might come out of his mouth. It was not as if Ichigo had not seen girls in swimsuits before, he had and his mind began remembering the trip to the beach with the Shinigami Woman Association and some other members of Soul Society. But even so, not even that compared to what he was seeing now. It was almost as if an unwritten rule existed which stated that all Pandora should also be supermodels because otherwise Ichigo had no other explanation on why these Pandora were all so attractive.

Despite Yoruichi's teasing, he could recognize a beautiful girl when he saw one, he had eyes of course. He just didn't make a huge deal out of it and most definitely wasn't a pervert like Kon. He began banishing these thoughts as he approached their group and while he did see Chiffon standing in a pool, he also saw specks of blonde on a beach chair near her. Despite facing the opposite way, he could conclude that it could only belong to Elizabeth and it was then when something came up in his mind and forced him to act.

"Eugene, Ichigo, over here!" Chiffon called from the pool. Upon seeing both Limiters she placed her glass down and greeted them before she paused and stared at the two.

Upon hearing the greeting, the British Pandora ascended from her seat in all her naked glory and turned around to give a greeting of her own, a mischievous smile already present on her lips as her anticipation grew for the reaction she would get from the older Limiter. However, once she saw both boys she halted her action as her expression grew into a confused one for a few moments before it resumed its original form.

"Ichigo, what are you doing?" Elizabeth asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Standing a few feet away from her, the orange haired boy was actively resisting what he expected the blonde Pandora to show him, by protecting his eyes and keeping them covered with his right palm. "You're naked, aren't you?" He asked annoyingly, the sentence coming out as more of a statement rather than a question.

Elizabeth laughed lightly at that. "Of course not Ichigo. What kind of woman do you think I am?" She decided to prolong this for a bit. It was all fun, she thought as she sipped from her drink. While it was not the teasing she intended, he was still in an amusingly uncomfortable spot so it was all the same to her.

"The type that has no problem walking naked among strangers." He bluntly stated.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that I act this way with strangers. But here we are all comrades and therefore we must be able to trust each other." She continued with her dialogue as she looked to the side and noticed that her fellow classmate was also amused by the unfolding scene.

"There are better ways to show others that you trust them. Flaunting your body around isn't one of them." He commented annoyingly, although a part of him was outraged that she would consider this a sign of mutual trust. He knew she was saying this just because of her intention to tease him, but did she seriously need to do this every time? At least she wouldn't latch on him like Yoruichi would have done. He didn't know what he would do if she would suddenly hug him and press their bodies together, especially in their current state of undress. Dammit, now he had that image stuck in his head!

Elizabeth was almost delighted when she saw the coloring of his cheeks increase in intensity. "In that case, would you mind sharing some of them with me?" She was wondering how long she could go like this before he'd snap or give up. If she were to guess then he should be nearing his limits by now, at least judging by his face. Not waiting for a response she turned to her chair to pick up her clothing articles.

"Well, that's..." He started grumbling annoyingly again at this whole situation. How the hell was he supposed to think like this? Wait a second, why was he supposed to think about this anyway? That wasn't the problem here. "Look, could you _please_ just put your swimsuit on?" He pleaded with her as he put as much emphasis on the word 'please' as possible. "I'd like to relax a bit while we're here so if you could cover up, I'd appreciate it."

A few moments had passed after he spoke, but all he could hear was silence from the blonde Pandora and it was making him apprehensive. Just as he was about to call for Elizabeth again, he felt his right hand being grabbed and removed forcefully. The first thing that registered into Ichigo's head was the blonde hair of the British Pandora that immediately made him yelp in surprise and jump back a bit as he couldn't go far due to the grip her hand had over his. The shock of seeing her in her birthday suit wore off when he noticed that she was actually wearing a white swimsuit. A very stylish one at that, not that the boy could tell.

The British Pandora only smiled brightly at him. "My, you are extremely jumpy today, aren't you Ichigo?" She noted with amusement.

"Wha-? But you were...all this time?" The substitute tried to form a coherent section, but wasn't having much success. He was confused whether or not the British Pandora had her swimsuit on from the beginning because if that was the case, he didn't like the idea of embarrassing himself for no reason.

"Don't worry Ichigo, she was naked at first." Chiffon assured the boy after watching him stumble for his words.

After hearing her, Ichigo began to relax as the whole scene was finished and he began to go in his normal state. And the first action he took was to glare at the beautiful blonde Pandora who was smiling at him. "It wasn't funny you know." The boy complained as he endured another round of teasing from the British girl. Seriously, had this girl really not been corrupted by Yoruichi?

"Oh, I apologize for making you uncomfortable." Hearing those words, Ichigo doubted that was the case no matter how convincing she was trying to be. But he knew that she meant no harm, she was just playing around like that and he wasn't actually mad, just embarrassed momentarily.

Ichigo released a breath as he recovered and returned to normal. "Whatever, just forget about it." Trying to put the whole thing behind him, he saw the Pandora's smile widen at his words. With that out of the way maybe he could start enjoying himself here. It was then when he noted that Eugene had long since left his side and was next to his partner.

"Perhaps you need a drink to relax." Elizabeth commented as she observed him.

As if taking that as his cue, Andre was making his presence known as he approached the group, two drinks present in his hands. "Milady, I have returned with the refreshments." Ever the loyal partner, the French Limiter had been sent prior to the other Limiter's arrival to procure beverages for them. Just like the other two, the dark brown haired male was sporting a pair of blue trunks himself.

The blonde Pandora nodded to him. "Right on time, Andre." She appreciated the punctuality as it fitted perfectly with the moment.

"Thank you, milady." Was the gallant response from his smiling visage which resembled that of a nobleman's. With that, he turned to Ichigo extending one of the glasses with a reddish colored drink. "Here you go, Ichigo-san."

"Ah, thanks." Ichigo took the glass slowly after giving a small nod in appreciation. After the exchange, he received a smile in response from the Limiter, before he went with the other drink to Eugene. Curiously, Ichigo took sip from his drink. The taste wasn't what he expected and it was entirely foreign to him, sweet yet with a bitter undertone to it, an exotic drink perhaps. It would certainly fit the scene, unlike with Karakura. Nevertheless, he did enjoy it.

"Come on, we are here to have fun, right?" Elizabeth told him before she headed to the pool where Chiffon was waiting for them. Wordlessly, Ichigo followed after her and went to stand with the rest of his classmates, taking in the view and allowing himself to relax. Ever since he arrived at the Academy he didn't have many opportunities to unwind with his relatively busy schedule, but this otherwise bizarre setting of a pool in the frozen wasteland seemed to work surprisingly well.

"Quite beautiful, isn't it?" He hear the brown haired girl comment from inside the pool he was standing next to. Quickly observing the girl, Ichigo could tell that she was enjoying the water immensely if her happy tone was anything to go by. "It's almost hard to believe that we are in Alaska. I heard that the E-Pandora laboratory used to be a civilian facility and only recently came under Chevalier management."

"So normal people used to live here?" The substitute questioned as he was beginning to understand why this whole facility seemed unsuited to be a military one. First the comfortable, or in his case very comfortable, rooms, the auditorium and now the poll. He could deduce that this facility was originally meant for civilians, but was later remodeled for military purposes.

"Yes, from what I heard it has been shut down for a good 10 years before it was given into use again 5 years ago. I think it's quite delighting that we get to spend time in a civilian setting for a change, don't you think?" Chiffon questioned happily.

"Is it?" Elizabeth asked, her head turning to regard her brown haired classmate before returning her gaze to the rest of the Pandora who were freely enjoying their time. "Genetics has gathered Pandora from all around the world here in order to help with their project. I can't help but feel that it is too relaxed." A silence settled for a few moments to let the notion sink before the blonde Pandora addressed another issue.

"By the way, I don't know if you were informed, but it seems that Chevalier is intending to hold a Carnival tomorrow." This new piece of information caught everyone's attention.

"A Carnival?" Ichigo asked as his expression grew more serious. "You mean those events where Pandora fight each other?" He had heard about them from Ticy and initially thought that it was some sort of strength contest between Pandora. And it was just that, only difference was that instead of the competitive tournament style that Ichigo was imagining a Carnival to be, it was actually more of a battle royale. He didn't research much, but he heard that they were normally very violent and many Pandora ended up in the infirmary, some in quite severe conditions. He frowned at the thought, but with the knowledge that a Pandora's healing capabilities were leagues above any normal human's, he didn't comment much about it, but he still didn't like it.

"Yes." Elizabeth answered him, a smile manifesting on her face as she was pleased that the 3rd Year Limiter was improving his knowledge on matters regarding both Pandora and Limiters. "They want us to have some mock battles between the Pandora and E-Pandora to gauge their strength and obtain data to analyze for future developments." She explained calmly.

The orange haired boy didn't say anything for a moment, he simply took another sip of his drink as his mind was in deep thought. He didn't know why, but ever since he learned what the E-Pandora project was about and the rumor he hear from the 'Immortal' Roxanne regarding the possibility of human experiments, he couldn't shake off the bad feeling that was nestling in his gut and the more he thought about it the more it unsettled him.

"Are you alright, Ichigo?" The orange haired boy heard Chiffon ask as he turned in surprise to see her looking at him with a somewhat curious expression. With the corner of his eye he could see the 3rd Year British Pandora's gaze on him as well.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Ichigo questioned, slightly confused by the attention.

Chiffon rested a finger on her chin as she answered. "Well, you looked a bit troubled and you went silent all of a sudden so I thought something bothered you." She informed him a bit unsure on how he would react, she didn't want to pry into his personal thoughts.

Ichigo only released a breath as he heard that. He had been told before by both his sisters that when he was engrossed in his thoughts, and especially if those thoughts were negative, something about his scowl becoming _meaner_, as Yuzu put it. He had never thought of actually verifying that as it never bothered him, but it would explain why Chiffon looked a bit more apprehensive than normal.

He shoved his left hand in the pocket of his trunks, his right hand holding his drink. "Just something that's bothering me." He answered as he looked at both Pandora seriously. "What happens if a regular person is implanted with stigmata? From what I got only Pandora with high compatibility rates are capable of using them, but what happens if you put them into normal people?"

Both Pandora shared a look before Elizabeth began talking. "Simply put, their bodies can't handle the stigmata. The tissue itself is corrosive in nature which is why a high compatibility rate is required for any Pandora to be able to carry a number of stigmata. The higher the compatibility rate the easier it is to hold a higher number of stigmata and reach a certain level of attunement. Those whose bodies are incompatible cannot hold them and will automatically reject the stigmata. The corrosive effect will most likely destroy the host body from the inside. I imagine it to be a very painful process." The British Pandora finished somberly making the substitute's eyes widen at the knowledge.

"Which is why those who don't meet the requirements of the compatibility rate don't usually bother to pursue this path." Chiffon interjected from the edge of the pool, her arms resting on the edge as her breasts were squeezed between them. "They will simply live their lives as regular people with no involvement in the matter."

Ichigo absorbed the information quickly, his features becoming rigid. "So then how will the guys here be able to make normal humans fight like Pandora?" Was the question on his mind now.

"Lowering the stigmata purity is one way." The British Pandora pondered the possibilities. "But then they wouldn't be much stronger than any regular human so the benefits would be minimal in that case."

"It's best that we leave that to the scientists here at Alaska." Chiffon took the word again. "Making this project possible is why we were asked to come here and help. I'm sure they have thought of something if they got Chevalier to approve of the project. It's till the beginning of the road, but we should see what they can do tomorrow first before do anything." A small amount of excitement could be heard in her voice, she was very interested in tomorrow's matches.

Elizabeth conceded and accepted her words with a small smile. "I suppose that is the best course of action we can take now." Truthfully, she herself was interested in the Carnival tomorrow. Worrying over something before seeing the E-Pandora in action was pointless.

Ichigo too released a breath and accepted the situation. "I guess. Well, not much we can do until tomorrow then."

"You could relax and enjoy this time." Elizabeth suggested, a smile taking hold on her beautifully sculpted face.

The substitute agreed and was about to walk to the pool himself when he and the rest of his company were all startled by a cry coming from somewhere in the room. Turning around to identify the source, Ichigo saw that it was coming from the other group that arrived from West Genetics, the group consisting of the two 2nd Year Pandora and the 1st Year Limiter, who was absent, and also a green haired Pandora that Ichigo saw earlier. More specifically, it was the blonde Pandora, Satellizer el Bridget, who seemed the cause of the commotion with her yelling profanities to her classmate, something along the lines of 'mailing her back to Tibet'.

Immediately after that, the blonde Pandora exited the pool and began running, he hands hugging her breasts in a protective manner, her face as flushed as it could get leaving behind two very amused Pandora. It seemed that the teasing of the dark haired girl was too much for the British Pandora.

Ichigo could feel a comical sweat drop on his head as he looked at the scene. He saw the two girls butt heads before, but he thought it was because of Kazuya's presence. He was beginning to think that those two really didn't get along. Or maybe they did. His friendship with Rukia did get loud at times, but even so she was still a precious friend to him. As he was briefly reminiscing, he saw the blonde Pandora approach his group and in her flustered unawareness, she failed to notice the small puddle on the floor. Inevitably, the girl slipped on the water and a yelp escaped her lips in surprise as she was falling face first to the floor.

Seeing this, Ichigo's instincts flared up as he instantly threw his drink in the air, which Elizabeth easily and calmly caught with a blank look, and leaped to her aid. I barely took more than a second, but he managed to close the short distance on time as he managed to slip an arm around her and cushion her fall.

Satellizer on the other hand had closed her eyes and was expecting to feel the painful and cold contact with the floor. Instead, her face landed in something much softer, undoubtedly warm and surprisingly familiar. She felt herself become encased into a protective bubble that took away all her tension and her body relaxed, subconsciously seeking more of this protective fire. Her moment of reveries was broken however when she heard someone address her.

"Are you alright?" Her eyes opened slowly as she registered the worried voice. Lifting her head, the now familiar visage of the 3rd Year Limiter appeared before her, his features shaped in unease as he awaited her answer. Satellizer blinked in confusion before she notice that he was on one knee supporting her body, his right hand across her chest while his left hand held her back and her face almost nestled on his right pectoral. To clarify, his _naked_ right pectoral. At that moment, it all came back to the blonde girl, of the incident that transpired just a few moments ago as she became aware of her position. Almost immediately she jumped out of his grasp, her face lighting up like a Christmas ornament.

Back on her two legs, Satellizer covered her breasts again as she struggled to regain control of her breath and racing heart. She avoided eye contact with the boy at all costs. A few much needed seconds passed before she calmed herself enough to be able get a hold of herself and get a grasp on her surroundings.

"You okay?" She heard the same voice ask again. Gaining enough courage to look his way, Satellizer noticed that he had risen to his feet and was waiting for her answer. The girl almost lost herself as she saw him in his full form standing no less than 3 feet away from her. As her eyes drank in his chiseled body, she felt herself become more agitated and embarrassed being in such a close proximity to a male body, especially the one belonging to a boy that she deemed as 'okay'.

"I-I'm fine!" She stammered abruptly as she timidly looked down at her feet.

"You sure?" The boy asked again, unconvinced by her response. "You're face looks a bit red." Taking a step towards her, he was about to inspect her before he saw her face become even more shocked as she jumped away from him.

As she was almost reaching her breaking point, the poor girl could barely even find her words. "I...am...ugh...excuse m-me!" With that last cry, she hastily brushed past him as she took off again, her destination being wherever her legs would take her as long as it was far away from that place.

Startled, the substitute reached with his right hand after her. "Wait! I don't think you should..." But the girl had already disappeared by the time he reached the middle of his sentence. "...run again like that." Ichigo groaned as he scratched his head in confusion. Just what was wrong with this girl? She had almost hurt herself because she was aimlessly running around and after he helped her she still didn't learn her lesson. Releasing a breath, he returned to his group and was about to head towards the pool Chiffon was in before he noticed the faces his two Pandora classmates were giving him.

They were smiling, so at least they weren't angry with him or anything like that, but those smiles seemed...not so well intended. Case in point as the blonde 3rd Year Pandora approached him, a certain glint in her sky blue eyes that Ichigo was beginning to recognize. It made him feel wary of what was about to come.

Stopping just next to him, Elizabeth was barely able to contain the cheshire cat grin that was threatening to spread on her entire face and settled for her normal smile. "My, I never took you for being that kind of a person, Ichigo." The words came out almost melodiously from her lips, an undertone of mischief present within them.

"What are you talking about?" The boys asked confusedly, a part of him becoming uncomfortable under her gaze.

Without missing a beat, the blonde Pandora answered. "Why, I'm talking about your interest in Satellizer el Bridget, of course. While it pleases me that you are making an attempt in finding a Pandora partner, I would have never expected you to go after someone who already is in an established relationship." She almost laughed when she saw his eyes widen. His increasing shock only fueled her to continue. "I cannot blame you though. She is, indeed, very beautiful. It doesn't surprise me that she managed to catch your eye, but I wouldn't have thought that you'd pursue her after being told that she was already engaged into a partnership with Aoi Kazuya. Are you seeking to win her over before Satellizer accepts Aoi Kazuya and has a proper baptism with him? If that is the case, then perhaps you are not the person I imagined you to be."

With his eyes as wide as dinner plates, the substitute held a mortified expression at the implications the 3rd Year Pandora was making. "W-wha...?" He stuttered voicelessly, before he jumped back, his fingers clenched into tight fists as he began to loudly defend himself. "Now wait just a damn moment here! What the hell are you talking about? Win her over? I'm not even after her for crying out loud!" Seriously, where the hell was the blonde girl coming up with all of this crap? He didn't even finish his tests, let alone begin to think about looking for a partner. Heck, he wasn't even entirely convinced that he'd get one in the first place.

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth pressed on in her best attempt to appear unconvinced by his words. "On the ship that got us here you appeared to be quite friendly with her, more so that I expected. She also came to your aid when you were in danger and she did so with no hesitation. And even now, the way you caught her and held her in your arms, almost intimately. Very suspicious." She rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she awaited his answer with amusement.

"It's not like that!" He roared in response. He felt his entire face flush in embarrassment as he was reminded of the skinship between him and the 2nd Year Pandora, primarily of her softness when he had his arm across her gifted chest. "There's nothing going on here! What even gave you that idea?" He then turned to the only source of trust he had left in this argument. "Chiffon, tell her that I'm not interested in..." The words died off at his lips as his eyes met the form of the brown haired Pandora.

"No, no!" The short haired girl had her palms over her blushing cheeks as she was shaking her head in a negative manner. "Ichigo, how could you! Going after Satellizer-san like that when she's already in a relationship with Aoi-kun. How shameless! How forbidden!" She repeated that as a mantra as it was clear that the girl was lost in her own world imagining indecent scenarios of elopement, her face flushing up more and more the deeper she went.

"Oi, you're totally beside the point here!" Ichigo roared in exasperation feeling his nerves about to give. Taking a deep breath he managed to compose himself a bit before he turned to the blonde Pandora. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she was regarding him with a victorious, albeit smug, smile, her hands confidently resting on her hips waiting patiently for him to continue defending himself. The substitute groaned at the sight. "It's not like that." He repeated slowly.

Snickering quietly, Elizabeth addressed him. "Well then, why don't you tell us in that case how it really is?" It was about time she ended this, he had endured enough of her teasing for the day.

"It wasn't anything like you said." He clarified annoyingly. "She wasn't careful and was about to fall and hurt herself. I couldn't just let that happen, not when I could do something about. I'm not the type of guys that will sit back when others need help, you know?"

The blonde Pandora simply approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder before making eye contact with him. "I understand. Your chivalrous nature couldn't stand and watch as a beautiful maiden was in danger of getting hurt. It warms my heart to know that we have such a gentleman among us." The smile she gave him was so sweet he couldn't help but think she looked so dazzling at that moment, he couldn't stop his cheeks from coloring. He broke the gaze and looked to his left as he awkwardly tried to get the blood from his face to go down.

"That said." Breaking the contact, she hugged her own body as her expression became apologetic. "I think I went a bit too far this time. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable. I'm sorry."

Observing her form, the substitute could tell that she meant it this time. And a quick glance at the brown haired girl confirmed that she too was sorry for playing the joke too far. It didn't help that she was giving him such a hurt and hopeful expression that was very effective in her persuasion. The boy groaned, before he ran his hand through his hair to calm himself. He knew they didn't mean anything bad with their teasing, but it still got on his nerves.

He was about to make a comment about her messing up with him again when he felt a cold shiver run through his spine, his body jolting in the wake of the tremor. Immediately, he began looking around carefully as the uncomfortable feeling of being under watch creped on him once again.

"Is something wrong, Ichigo?" Elizabeth asked as she saw him jump and hastily inspect his surroundings.

The boy took checked the area around a bit more, looking for anything that seemed out of place, before answering the blonde. "I don't know. I think I may be paranoid, but I feel like I'm being...watched, I think. It's been creeping me out honestly." His expression turned sour, he really couldn't figure out what was giving him such an ominous feeling. It couldn't be hollows, he hasn't seen any since he arrived and he hadn't sensed any either. So what else could it be?

"Being watched?" Elizabeth cocked her head to the right as she repeated his words with honest surprise. "Like a ghost or a monster?" Could it be that he hasn't noticed it by now? She knew he was innocent, something she enjoyed about his personality, but he didn't strike her as the unobservant type. Or maybe he was that clueless on the matter it went completely past his perception.

Shaking his head in a negative manner, he answered. " No, more like the kind of feeling when a predator is after you and you're the prey. It's kinda like that, I think. I doubt there are any monsters here though. Why would monsters be watching me in the first place?" It wasn't that he didn't recognize the feeling of imminent threat or distaste. Plenty of his foes 'graced' him with harsh glares and raw, blood lusted killer intent. But this time, the feeling was different and unusual and he couldn't wrap his head around it.

He was distracted from his thoughts by a cry from the brown haired Pandora. "What a rude thing to say!" Chiffon pouted in mock anger, her expression being anything but. "I'm a 'Monster' and I'm looking at you, aren't I?"

Chuckling at her words, the substitute walked to the pool and crouched in front of her. "Exactly what part of you is a monster?" Ichigo began to playfully poke her forehead, his lips twitching upwards. "How can you see me when your eyes are closed all the time anyway?" It was bizarre. His expression wasn't entirely cheerful, but Chiffon could tell that he was relaxed and was actually enjoying himself. His facial features were softer, less tense and he was almost smiling.

Elizabeth watched the pair interact right before her eyes, happy that the boy was finally allowing himself to relax. He was so serious most of the time. Perhaps he was the type that opened up after a certain time, but she was happy that he was enjoying himself for a change. His observation also brought up something that amused her in particular. _"A predator after its prey? I suppose it can be seen that way as well."_ She had to cover her mouth to suppress her mirth, otherwise he could have heard her. She was no stranger to his source of confusion. In fact, she noticed it moments after Ichigo joined them, but she didn't expect him to be oblivious to the stares he was receiving.

They were subtle, she admitted that, but she expected to at least notice some of the stares the Pandora present at the pool were giving him. Looking around, Elizabeth was immediately able to spot a few looks. Some were just enjoying the 'free show', like those coming from a group of Pandora near the bar. The girls were stealing quick glances in their direction and would gossip and laugh together. Others weren't as innocent, such as the one coming from a dark skinned Pandora with long, raven hair tied in a ponytail who was sitting at the opposite edge of the main pool, legs dancing slowly in the pristine water. From her spot under an artificial palm tree, she had an excellent view on their group and the way she was eyeing the orange haired Limiter was, ironically enough, just like the boy had described. Her emerald colored eyes held a ravenous look within them, the sensual licking of her fingers only accentuating her obvious desire for the unsuspecting target.

_"Oh dear."_ That particular Pandora seemed to be quite tenacious with her intentions, Elizabeth remarked amusedly. Perhaps it would be good for Ichigo to always have someone with him during their stay. But a part of her could understand this carnal desire. Ichigo was, simply put, quite a fine specimen of a human male . And it wasn't that she was unsatisfied with Andre, not at all. She was very happy with her partner, she knew he exercised regularly and was in good shape. Not just that, they were very compatible in many ways, him possessing many qualities that she found attractive and they simply just 'clicked', as some people would say.

"Oi, Elizabeth, you coming or what?" Snapped back from her thoughts, she saw that Ichigo had already joined the rest of the group in the pool and was calling for her.

At the moment Andre emerged from the water and walked to her, his right hand raising in anticipation. "Milady." Was his dignified call coming from his smiling visage.

Returning the smile, she gracefully accepted his hand before going to join her little group. The seriousness of their duties could wait until the next day. For now they'd enjoy the luxuries that were made available to them.

**xxx **

In another part of the facility, in a large room equipped with various research equipment and secrets far out of anyone's reach stood the Head of the E-Pandora Project, Scarlett Ohara. There, in the dimly illuminated chamber, surrounded by many pods which housed the same number of humanoid bodies, floating in a green tinted, glowing liquid, the woman regarded one pod with uncertain eyes. Her fists were clenched in the pockets of her lab coat, her thoughts on the project and its future eating away at her conscious. How long could she keep stalling until the unavoidable happens?

"A little more." She pleaded desolately. "I need just a little more time."

**xxx**

Finally, after a rather peaceful night, minus the fun they had at the pool, the big day had come. _"Or at least one of them."_ Ichigo thought dryly as he made his way towards the stadium that resided in the facility. Accompanying him were Chiffon and Elizabeth with their respective partners and from what the substitute could tell, everyone held a different amount of excitement regarding the Carnival. While it could be said that Elizabeth, the two 2nd Year Limiters and Ichigo himself were reserved about the matches, Chiffon on the other hand was very expressive with her enthusiasm. She was an odd one, Ichigo concluded.

Entering their designated balcony, which was reserved for the student of West Genetics only, Ichigo was surprised to see that his younger classmates were already there. It looks like they beat them to the main event. He went to join them, followed by the rest of the group. Upon noticing them, the youngest Limiter politely greeted them, followed by Rana's enthusiastic salute. The bespectacled Pandora on the other hand nodded her head in their direction before simply going to the dark haired boy's side.

Satellizer felt her face heat up at the sight of the orange haired, the events from yesterday still fresh in her mind. Why had she reacted like that? Last night, while fighting off her fears concerning the E-Pandora, she also berated herself on her behavior at the pool. The 3rd Year Limiter simply helped her after she had slipped due to her own lack of awareness, expressing his worry for her and yet she had simply run away, her own emotion getting the better of her. But at that point she felt so exposed, so vulnerable, what else could she have done? She unconsciously grabbed Kazuya's hand, feeling his touch relax her and fill her with strength, the Aoi heir remaining oblivious to all of this and simply cocking his head to the side at the gesture.

Naturally, in face with such a scene, the Tibetan Pandora was not one to allow her rival to gain any upper hand. She went and grabbed Kazuya's opposite hand, giving him one of her usual cheerful grins before throwing a smug look at her foe. In response, Satellizer gave her a death look and started another glaring contest, leaving the poor dark haired boy in the middle of all of this.

Ichigo, already used to their antics, plainly ignored them and leaned on one of the supporting pillars, scowl firmly in place and arms crossed as he waited for the event to begin. With a quick scan of the huge room, he saw most of the other invited guests present for the mock battles. On one side of the room he could see the American Pandora from yesterday, her expression holding a controlled enthusiasm as she patiently waited in her lobby. The same could not be said about the top 5 Pandora from his group.

"Wow. I'm so surprised. The E-Pandora look like they have come so far." Came her excited voice as she almost started jumping in the confined balcony. "I'm so excited. I can't wait to see how strong they are." With that she rested her hands on the railing and leaned for in for a better view. "Ichigo, what about you? Aren't you excited?" She asked the substitute as she turned her head in his direction.

"I guess." He replied without much enthusiasm. Though it couldn't be said that he wasn't all that indifferent to the whole thing. These battle would be his first opportunity to see what the Pandora were capable of and a part of him was interested in seeing just how strong they were. He had seen a bit of what they were capable during the attack of that Dummy Nova, but he doubted he had seen everything they had to offer.

"You should pay close attention to the battles, Ichigo." Elizabeth commented from her spot next to Chiffon. "This is a good opportunity for you to familiarize yourself with how Pandora fight. They may not be battling a Nova, but you'll be able to see what we are capable of doing."

"Sure." Ichigo replied, not moving from his spot.

At that moment, all the lights in the room focused on the arena, gathering the attention of all those present. Immediately afterwards a female voice boomed from the many speakers placed all around the room.

"Attention everyone. We will now stage a mock battle between an original Pandora and an Evolution Pandora in an exhibition Carnival!" The voice announced loudly, a large number of Pandora beginning to cheer at the news.

As the announcement was going on, Ichigo saw two girls advance to the fighting ring from opposite sides. The original Pandora, which Ichigo assumed she was because she wore the same clothes as Elizabeth and Chiffon, had long, wavy brown hair brushed to her back and grey eyes. On the opposite side, her E-Pandora opponent was a girl with long, black hair that ran past her shoulder blades and tan skin. Wisely, Ichigo restrained himself from commenting on the 'battle attire' of the E-Pandora.

"The first match will be Anna Parker from England's Genetics, UK against Evolution Pandora, Rattle." The cheering resounded in the room as the anticipation grew, every Pandora eager to see the strength of their soon to be colleagues.

"Battle start!" At the sound of the electronic gong, the brown haired Pandora quickly materialized her Volt Weapon, a pair of short twin blades. Rattle on the other hand readied her readied her own twin circle blades as she jumped back, getting some distance between herself and her foe.

Preparing her move, the tanned E-Pandora pushed hard with her right foot and dashed to strike her opponent. The attack was easily parried as the two now began exchanging blows, the sound of metal clashing resonating in the entire stadium.

Yet, despite all the effort rattle was putting into the fight, it was clear to the onlookers that she was being pushed back, the original Pandora not appearing to be straining herself as she calculatedly blocked and evaded the slashes. Seeing an opening, Anna attacked with one of her blades quickly, the E-Pandora barely being able to block it, the momentum of the swing sending her back a couple of feet. Stopping herself in place, she almost collapsed, the fight putting great strain on her body.

Breathing heavily, the E-Pandora focused again and disappeared in a blue blur.

"They can use High End Skills?" Ichigo heard Chiffon mumble under her breath somewhere from his right. The substitute's eyes however never left the arena as he watched the E-Pandora speed up and try to corner the British Pandora.

At ground level, Rattle was using the Accel Turn and was circling up the brown haired Pandora. In face of such provocation, Anna suddenly dematerialized both her weapon. Seeing this, the E-Pandora was about to make use of the new opportunity and attack, only to feel a powerful blow at her back that made her scream in pain. The British Pandora had suddenly appeared behind her and punched her hard, sending the dark haired girl tumbling on the grown, her blades flying in random direction.

Feeling the pain course through her entire body, Rattle was breathing hard as she forced her body to rise, yet despite her best effort, she had reached her limits.

"Match End!" Resounded the female voice through the PA system.

The announcer waited a few moments for the fighters to clear the arena before resuming her role.

"Second Match!" This time, Ichigo saw a girl with dark hair tied into a ponytail advance from the Pandora's side while the E-Pandora sent a girl with short purple hair carrying what seemed like a wooden staff. "Jeong Ara from Genetics Korea against Evolution Pandora, Gina Purpleton." Hearing their names, both girls prepared for battle. The Korean Pandora materialized her Volt Weapon, a pair of steel gauntlets as the E-Pandora readied her staff.

"They seem unable to materialize their own Volt Weapons." Was another comment that was heard by the substitute, from the 2nd Year, blonde Pandora if he guessed right.

Without wasting a moment, Jeong jumped back and immediately disappeared in a blue blur of Accel, the purple haired girl followed her example and vanished in a blue blur of her own. What followed was a spectacle of blue blurs dancing around the whole arena as anticipation was being build up.

One of the blurs materialized in the air revealing the form of Gina attacking with her staff at a point on the ground. On that spot, her Pandora opponent also appeared in sight. With great force she threw her gauntleted fist at the oncoming weapon, smashing it to pieces, much to the surprise of the E-Pandora. A powerful kick to her side followed after that, sending the purple hair girl to the ground, her pain receptor complaining at the contact with the hard material. Almost instantly, the Korean Pandora was above her with another swing at her way, only stopping a few inches away from Gina's shocked face.

"It's over! Match End!" The female announcer declared loudly.

The two girl returned to their lobbies, the E-Pandora visibly having a much harder time even walking as she held onto her left arm, the one she had fallen on. She greeted by her teammates with worried looks, the previous E-Pandora who fought the first match, Rattle, taking her into her arms to support her.

"The originals are really strong." Gina commented through her tired breaths. It was almost unbelievable to the girl to see them fight with such ease. Those High End Skills that were so painful and required so much focus to use seemed like child's play to their original counterparts.

As Gina was catching her breath, another E-Pandora prepared herself for her battle before she began walking to the arena. "We're counting on you, Amelia!" Gina cheered her on. "We have to win at least once! You're our last hope!"

With calm steps, the girl stepped on the arena stairs, a determined look permeating her entire visage. "I'll give everything I've got." She promised to herself as she waited for her opponent to appear.

"The Third Match." The announcer was heard again. "Evolution Pandora, Amelia Evans against Elizabeth Mably of West Genetics, Japan." From the Pandora's side, the familiar shape of the blonde haired girl appeared into view as she made her way to the arena, a serious look on her face.

Ichigo blinked at her form. _"When the hell did she leave?"_ He asked himself before turning to check the rest of their balcony. Other than some surprised faces coming from Kazuya and the 2nd Year Pandora, the substitute saw that indeed, his classmate was absent from her spot next to Andre. How he hadn't sense her leave puzzled him, but he just shrugged and resumed his watch.

On the arena floor, Elizabeth was carefully analyzing her opponent's posture to get a better sense of her. Or would have had her Tibetan underclassman not started to loudly cheer her on. "Good grief. This isn't some game." She complained mostly to herself, but was caught off guard when her opponent responded.

"So you say, yet you probably do think that this is just a game, don't you?" The girl questioned in a hard tone. "You're not nervous at all. I can tell."

Not one to cause conflict, Elizabeth raised her hand in an apologetic manner. "I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. It wasn't my intention to..." She didn't get to finish because the E-Pandora cut her off.

"There's no reason to apologize." Amelia interrupted, before giving the blonde Pandora a harsh look. "I'll just have to shake and defeat that composure of yours. Even if this is a mock battle, it's still possible to get hurt. You'd better prepare yourself." She declared with a cold voice.

At the receiving end of such hostility, Elizabeth only smiled. She could play it like that as well. "Then let me ask you a question. How strong are you compared to the other two who fought earlier?"

"Why do you ask? You can just find out when you fight me, can't you?" She asked, confused by the question addressed to her.

"You misunderstand." Elizabeth clarified. "I simply wish to know how much should I hold back."

"Hold back you say? Are all original Pandora so arrogant?" The platinum haired girl narrowed her eyes before she relented and answered. "Very well. If you wish to know, then I'd say I'm about thrice as strong as them."

"I hope that is not an overestimation." Elizabeth replied back, her visage not changing in the slightest at the revelation of her opponent's strength. If anything, the knowledge that her opponent is in fact the strongest of the E-Pandora pleased her, why not use this chance to the fullest?

Time between the two seemed to have slowed, the seconds passing at a more passive rate as the cheering ceased and was replaced by anticipation for the match to begin. Every Pandora was observing this final fight and even Ichigo himself was feeling the shift in the atmosphere of the room. Then, after a long wait disguised within 5 seconds, the announcer's voice boomed.

"Match Start!"

"Volt Weapon, activate!" Not ever a second after the words were heard, the E-Pandora called forth and materialized her weapon and made a quick swing at the blonde girl.

Already aware of the surprise attack, the British Pandora simply jumped back in a blue blur with an Accel Turn, landing elegantly a few feet away outside of any imminent danger. "I see. You can materialize your own Volt Weapon." Elizabeth commented as she observed the now armed girl. "You are definitely a cut above the other two." She allowed herself to compliment her, even if it lacked emotion.

Up in the balcony, along some of the Pandora and Limiter who, at the sight of the first E-Pandora that had materialized a Volt Weapon, had been surprised, Ichigo too was taken aback by the development. Sure, he had noticed that unlike her teammates who had previously entered the ring with their weapons this silver haired girl had nothing of the sort in her grasp, but it wasn't until she actually brought out her weapon that the possibility of her having the ability to materialize one on her own hit him. The weapon of choice was fairly common though, a spear with a blade at one end. But his thoughts were nonexistent to the two dueling girls in the arena.

"What about you?" Amelia countered the words with a question, her full attention focused on the opposing girl. "Why aren't you using your own?" This was still supposed to be a mock battle meant to gather data and she'd rather have her opponent fight her on even term.

Chuckling at her question, Elizabeth answered her in a soft yet firm voice. "It's because I decided that there's no need for me to do so." Seeing the eyes of the E-Pandora narrow in anger, she smiled as she explained her decision. "After all, you're only thrice as strong, aren't you?"

Feeling anger course through her body, Amelia's teeth clenched in fury. "Yes, That's right. You were all born with bodies compatible with both aptitude and ability to handle the stigmata." The words came out in a cold voice, yet the white knuckles of her hands, a direct result of how hard she was squeezing her weapon, betrayed the hurricane of emotions that were inside of her. "But don't think that means that I'll let you look down on all the blood, sweat and tears that we've put into this until now!" With that declaration made, the girl rushed to attack the blonde Pandora, the bladed end of her spear aiming for the girl's face.

However, much to the surprise of the crowd and especially to the silver haired E-Pandora, Elizabeth easily caught the swing with her left hand and kept it in a strong grip. _"She stopped my attack by grabbing the shaft?"_ Amelia thought, stumped at the ease which her blade was caught.

"Just so you know, I could have easily dodged that attack, but I went out of my way to grab it. I do not mean to look down on you." Elizabeth replied sympathetically as she held her opponent's weapon. "However, the purpose of these mock battles is to assess the difference in our strengths. I do believe it is my duty to give them the most accurate data possible."

"Let go!" The E-Pandora blared as she ripped her weapon out of the blonde's grasp.

"It's not good to let you emotions get the better of you so easily." She lectured calmly. "If you lose your cool on the battlefield you won't be able to make proper judgments and increase the like hood of failure for both you and your comrades." As a Pandora, she had been exposed to life and death battles that resulted in the loss of some of her friends who had succumbed to despair and jeopardized entire operations. It was thanks to experiences like those and her wish to not end up the same that she learned to remain calm no matter the odds.

Unaware of her opponents inner contemplations, the silver haired girl started running around in a display of Accel far superior than that of her teammates, a fact which the blonde noticed almost immediately.

"Her techniques have quite an edge to them." Chiffon said as she watched the match from the balcony. "She is definitely in a different league compared to the E-Pandora that fought earlier."

Within the blue blurs, concentrating her kinetic energy in her texture and cheered on by her teammates, Amelia accelerated again, effectively doubling her speed and unleashing her Double Accel. She was almost in two spots at the same time, the only delay being that of the interval between her movements. Jumping in the air, she used her speed to the fullest and slashed at her enemy. She felt annoyance go up her spine as her blade once again made contact with nothing but air, the opposing girl swiftly dodging her attack.

"I hope you don't think you can beat me with a mere Double Accel." Amelia heard the Pandora speak from behind her. Panic filled her as her eyes widened, she had been unable to follow her movements. She hastily tried to put some distance between them by jumping away using an Accel, but found her blonde haired opponent straight in front of her. With speed that she had not seen before, Elizabeth hit her in the check, the force behind the blow sending her to the ground.

Struggling to rise, the E-Pandora managed to slowly get on her feet, panting heavily as she tried to ignore the taste of iron from her own blood. Pain was coursing through her entire body from where her stigmata were implanted, like microscopic webs linked to all her nerves. Taking deep breaths one after the other, her body struggled to work through the burning sensations. Yet, despite her obvious suffering, a part of her was awed at the magnificent display provided by the Pandora in front of her.

Elizabeth saw the girl get up, yet was taken aback by the corrosion that was beginning to take over her body. " You're skin..." She commented at the terrible shape the silver haired girl was in. "Let's stop this. You won't be able to use Accel anymore like that. Judging by how your body looks, it should be hard to even move."

But Amelia had none of that. "I can still go on." Yes, just the simple act of breathing was agony, but she couldn't stop. Not when the pride of all the E-Pandora rested on her shoulders.

Elizabeth looked at her sympathetically, acknowledging her will, but she couldn't keep this up. "I request that you end this match!" She spoke loudly directly to the head of the project. "I'm sure you can see that continuing this mock battle will result in nothing but a terrible..."

"Please continue." The sharp voice of the woman cut her off. Scarlett Ohara had risen from her seat and replied. "We still don't have enough data. Please continue until she can't move anymore." Taking her seat again, she looked at arena with a hard face. _"I've done all that I can do for you, Amelia. Keep going until the end." _

_"Until she can't move?"_ Elizabeth though incredulously as she couldn't believe what she just heard. _"Why go so far for a mock battle? For what purpose?"_ She wondered as she regarded the winded shape of the silver haired girl. "But to continue like this. Are you okay with that?"

"Thank you for worrying." The E-Pandora said through pained breaths, her eyes hidden behind the bangs of her scarlet and silver hair. "You're a kind person. But can you tell how much that kindness of yours hurts me?" The solemn smile she gave hit Elizabeth closer to her feelings than she expected.

The British Pandora regarded her silently. _"This girl. She's willing to put so much in this match."_ Clenching her fists in determination, she answered to the silent call of the E-Pandora. "Very well. If that is how you feel, then prepare yourself!" No sooner than the words left her mouth, she had already moved from her spot and was circling Amelia with her Tempest Turn.

To the silver haired girl it was almost as if Elizabeth had cloned herself. She was in two places at the same time, both left and right. And above that, she was fast, so fast that she could barely follow her, let alone react. Just as she turned around to catch sight of the blonde girl, she felt an explosion of pain in her stomach from a brutally delivered knee. The scream came out of her mouth as a reflex, the previous attack having nowhere near the strength the Pandora was using.

But she wouldn't go down. She coughed a mouthful of blood. "I'm not done yet!" Not after just this much. Her opponent was so much stronger, yet that didn't matter. Her legs were burning, the strain of both her muscles and from the stigmata texture tearing at them. She wouldn't go down, not until her body could no longer stand. And even then...

_"This is bad. If she uses any more Accel it could cause permanent damage."_ Still moving with the speed of her Double Accel, Elizabeth appeared behind her E-Pandora opponent in a blue blur. _"I have to knock her out." _And with that she kicked the left side of her head hard making her roll in place. Her Volt Weapon was thrown out of her grasp and dematerialized on the spot. But the blonde Pandora wasn't done. Appearing again in her range, she delivered another hard kick to her temple sending the E-Pandora to the ground, blood flying everywhere from her battered visage.

Gasps were heard across the entire arena before a quick silence settled. Even Scarlett Ohara flinched at the brutal beat down. _"I'm sorry, Amelia."_ But she couldn't let her feelings be seen so she carried on watching with a calculating gaze.

Elizabeth landed a few feet away, her expression full of sympathy for the fallen girl. This wasn't the type of fight she wanted. _"That first attack should have be enough to knock her out. Hopefully, the second blow didn't hurt her much after that."_ There was no point in beating down a person so badly, not for some data collecting. Her blood was turning cold even at the thought of it and yet here she was. It was not right, why go so far? Mind still filled with thoughts, she turned to exit the arena only to feel herself freeze in place as she heard many surprised gasps and even the hint of movement behind her. She turned around and watched with an incredulous look as the figure had once again risen.

They had hurt. Those two blows had hurt more than anything she had ever felt. She had been hit before, beaten, kicked, yet none had the same strength behind them. But even so, she wouldn't go down. This fight was for all the E-Pandora, they all put their hopes in her. She vaguely felt her body, it was so numb as if her mental connection with it weakened. Even the pain was fading, replaced with heaviness. Sounds were distorted to her, her sight was nothing more than a blur of colors. Her body was moving, she realized, but she didn't remember telling it to do so. She wouldn't go down. The words kept going through her clouded mind as she felt it go numb. An image flickered in front of her eyes and the blonde color of the Pandora standing a few feet away flared in her sight. "I'm not...done...yet." Was all she managed to say before her world went dark.

Elizabeth stared in genuine surprise at the silver haired girl who had risen almost like a zombie. _"That should have given her a concussion. How is she still able to stand?"_ From the side, she could hear the E-Pandora's teammates cry and beg for the match to be stopped. _"What drives you to try so hard? Is it your pride as an E-Pandora? Does this mean I have to defeat your spirit and not your body for you to go down?"_ She weighted her options and was about to move before the electronic gong resounded in the room.

"Match End!" Came the announcement from the PA system.

Caught off guard by the announcement, Elizabeth turned to the doctor's balcony. "What is the meaning of this? Why now? You've refused when I asked before, so why stop it now?" She asked in confusion at their decision.

The maroon haired doctor regarded her without emotion and replied with that same calculating voice. "I said to continue until your opponent would be unable to move anymore, did I not?" At her unchanging expression, Scarlett just nodded in the direction of the E-Pandora. "Just look at her."

At those words, Elizabeth quickly turned to the silver haired girl and her eyes widened in shock at what she saw. _"She's unconscious? She's standing while being unconscious!?"_ The Pandora then watched with an inanimate expression how the other E-Pandora rushed to the girl's side, their faces full of worry as they called for the medics. _"Why? Why go so far for a simple mock battle?"_

The Pandora through all the balconies were surprised by the turn of events. What started as simple mock battles ended up being much more serious once they saw the last E-Pandora fight with everything she had.

"She's got some real guts, that one." The American Pandora, Roxanne, commented as she couldn't help but be impressed by the display. That E-Pandora may not have been as strong as she had hoped, but credit where credit was due, she had spirit and Roxanne could respect that. _"But it's just as the rumors from Japan's West Genetics say."_ Her mind then switched to a different topic as she watched Elizabeth leave the arena.

_"She's that strong without a weapon and is still only second best."_ Those were the thoughts of the French Pandora, Charles Bonaparte.

_"So the 'Monster' reigns supreme even above her."_ Germany's Julia Munberk finishes the thoughts of the other two.

Walking down the hallway way from the center of the room, Elizabeth made her way to join with her friends, only to find that much to her surprise they were already on their way to great her. And it wasn't just Andre with Chiffon, and by proxy Eugene, and maybe Ichigo, but the two 2nd Year Pandora along with Aoi Kazuya as well.

"What are you all doing here?" Elizabeth asked in genuine curiosity.

"Chiffon's idea. Said something about you needing emotional support or something like that." It was Ichigo who answered her. And it happened so nonchalantly and with such a bored tone that Elizabeth couldn't help but blink at this change in his mood. Was it perhaps that he was getting more comfortable with them? Immediately after the orange haired substitute said those words Chiffon began to comically cry at the boy, his expression not changing in the slightest as he paid no mind to the 'nuisance'. The others, except Eugene, just sweat dropped at the 'Monster's' antics.

Back to the point. Chiffon was concerned about her? She knew that she was the type to express her care in a more emotional manner when it concerned her comrades, but did she think that this battle affected her? It was true that in ended up being more than what she anticipated, but on the other hand it showed her that the E-Pandora were willing to go far in order to be acknowledged. In that regard, perhaps they were closer to what a Pandora was supposed to represent than what she expected. But they still had a long way to go and so much to learn.

"Milady, are you alright?" Andre was at her side, his visage serious as he waited for her answer.

Broken out of her musings, Elizabeth nodded. "Yes. Shall we return to our rooms?" She asked around, gathering the attention of those present. She half expected the Tibetan Pandora to start with another one of her cheerful speeches about her 'kicking ass out there'. But much to her pleasure she had refrained from such commentary, a sign of her maturing or was it that she understood the entire atmosphere? In any case, she started walking towards her shared room with Andre, the other following in her wake.

Hands in pockets, Ichigo trailed alongside the group and kept to himself only to notice Chiffon come next to him. "So Ichigo, what did you think of your first time seeing a Pandora fight?" He heard her ask, her head cocked his way.

"It was...interesting. I mean you guys are strong and pretty fast too and you also got those Volt Weapons." He replied simply, not wanting to get into too many details.

"Hmm, but what did you think of the E-Pandora compared to us original Pandora?" Chiffon pressed on.

What indeed. The E-Pandora were strong when compare to a human, but by his afterlife standards, other than being able to fight regular hollows, they wouldn't put much a fight against anything above that. Not to mention the fact that they tire out easily if the battles he witnessed were any indication. The Pandora on the other hand were decisively stronger. At the very least they could casually fight a lot better than the E-Pandora. Yet Ichigo doubted they had shown much of what they were capable and wasn't about to make a call of their strength until he was convinced of it. But he still had to say something to the brown haired girl.

"Well, they seemed pretty strong compared to a regular human. But from what I saw, the Pandora didn't fight with their full power so I'm guessing they're a lot stronger. They also seemed more resilient than the E-Pandora too." He was actually curious to see just how strong they were when they fought and how they compared to the hierarchy of the Gotei 13.

"Hmm, so you have no problem properly assessing their strength. I'm glad." Chiffon mused as she gave him an approving look.

Ichigo just shrugged in response. It wasn't that hard to see who's the stronger of the two groups. The Pandora had the clear advantage in that regard and remembering what Chiffon and Elizabeth told him, it was probably because of their bodies' compatibility rate. If they could hold stigmata then they could fight as Pandora, the higher the compatibility, the higher the potential he assumed. That said, that last E-Pandora was something else. Very few of his opponent had a will to keep going like that. Sure, there was that loon Kenpachi and that bastard Grimmjow who could probably keep fighting until only their bones remained, but the silver haired girl didn't strike him as being nuts like them, she was just very determined. Recklessly so, if Ichigo was honest, but she still impressed him. Standing up to a stronger opponent is no easy feat, not to mention the danger of it all had it been a real battle.

With that last thought, Ichigo quietly followed the rest of his group to their assigned room, a part of him wondering how things would go on from there regarding the E-Pandora project.

**xxx**

It was lunchtime in the day following the mock battles of the E-Pandora. Ichigo was making his way towards the cafeteria of the Alaskan base accompanied by none other than his British 3rd Year classmate and her French Limiter. He had spent the majority of his morning aimlessly reading some of the books he had brought that weren't school related, like his copy of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ by William Shakespeare, when Elizabeth had come to visit him. Much to his annoyance, the surprise she expressed when she saw his choice of literature was predictably high as he had grown used to. It didn't help that she found the whole 'contrast' of him and the famous work amusing, evidence of the laugher she released. Was it that weird that someone like him enjoyed Shakespeare? His ire state was diminished when she also expressed her happiness on him being interested in her native country's work.

She then asked if he wanted to accompany Andre and herself to the cafeteria as lunchtime was approaching. Seeing no reason to refuse, he accepted and went with her. He had asked about Chiffon, but apparently the brown haired girl had already left so it was just him with Elizabeth and Andre.

In the time between yesterday and today there were no official announcements made by the staff of the facility regarding the Pandora's contribution to the project so the students just took their time relaxing and waiting for further instructions. It was weird in a way, this whole acting like normal teenagers until there is a call to fight extraterrestrial beings. It felt inorganic, but it was probably him not being used to this routine. The other students were faring well with these circumstances.

Picking a tray with whatever was being served, the orange haired boy followed the blonde haired girl.

"Oh. There seems to be no open seats." He heard the girl remark. With a quick scan he came to the same conclusion. What timing for the whole place to be full. With another look, he did manage to spot a few open seats, but once he saw who was at the table, he wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to go there considering what happened the previous day.

"Follow me, I think I found some free spots for us." Elizabeth said suddenly as she started walking towards a table. Wait a second, she wasn't going to _that_ table, was she? The blonde made no detours and was confident in her approach. Scratch that, she _was_ going there.

Reluctantly, Ichigo followed alongside Andre as they reached the table of their hosts, the E-Pandora. As expected, they were surprised by the arrival of the British Pandora, but Elizabeth only smiled elegantly as her almost noble like upbringing came into play along with her manners.

"Is this spot open?" She asked the table politely.

"M-miss Mably!?" The purple haired girl exclaimed, shock written on her face as she saw who it was.

"Pease call me Elizabeth." She corrected gently. "Is it alright if we sit here?"

"It is open, but..." She trailed off unsure how to respond. She didn't have any legitimate reason to stop her, but it wasn't like they were amiable with one another.

"Then excuse me." She took a seat next to her, directly across the silver haired girl she fought. Out of all the three E-Pandora that fought the previous day, she seemed to be the only one that was still treating her injuries, the medical eye patch over her right eye being in plain sight. Andre quietly took a seat next to his partner and set to eat his food.

Ichigo could feel every eye in the cafeteria room staring at their table, an eerie silence going on ever since Elizabeth began interacting with their hosts. This seemed like a bad idea to him, but reluctantly, he took the last seat available at the table, next to the silver haired E-Pandora and directly across from Andre. For some reason he felt that the food wasn't going to taste all that great. Looking down, he took note of the contents in his plate. Great, it was fish...

As the substitute set to eat, he tried to ignore the tension that was permeating the table. It was so thick the boy felt that he could cut it with his zanpakutou. He was glad that it wasn't necessarily directed at him, but being near it still made him uncomfortable. How the hell was Elizabeth eating so nonchalantly in such an atmosphere?

Contrary to what the orange haired boy thought, the British Pandora felt the intent quite well, she just didn't try to let it bother her. Still, the continuous stare she was getting from a certain black haired E-Pandora was eating away at her patience. "W-what is it?" She asked, a bit of her discomfort showing. "Are you not going to eat?" She asked the tanned E-Pandora, Rattle.

Startled that she was caught staring, the E-Pandora was suddenly put in the spotlight. "Y-your lips." She stammered out as she tried searching for the right words. "Your lips are so pretty? Umm, what kind of lip gloss are you using?" She asked in genuine curiosity.

Elizabeth blinked at the completely unexpected response, but smiled nonetheless. "This is the Mably's limited edition lip gloss." She pointed with her finger at her shinny lips to give them a better look.

"Mably?" The purple haired girl exclaimed. "The best lip gloss brand in the world? Then you're from _the_ Mably family!" Whispers were now heard among the E-Pandora, some expressing the high prices of the Mably Company's products while other were expressing awe at being near such an important person.

"I don't know whether or not my family's company is the best, I'm just merely using something made by their business. Do you like it?" Elizabeth asked amidst all the commotion. "If you want to, I can sell it to you with my employee discount." She offered as she continued to eat with pausing. Next to her, Andre looked puzzled at his partner. This wasn't how she usually behaved, what was causing her to act in such a manner? Did she wish to cohere the E-Pandora to her side, to gain their trust somehow?

"Employee discount?" One of the E-Pandora inquired. "How much is it?"

Making sure to swallow first, Elizabeth then replied. "You get 30% off." After a few moment of silence, in which the knowledge sunk in, a literal storm of girls jumped off their seats and approached the Mably heir, demands of their products raining to her ears. She would need to make a list, judging by the numbers or persons who were crowding her.

Ichigo on the other hand sweat dropped at the sight, a part of him flabbergasted at what he had just witnessed. Lip gloss? All it took to break the violent tension that formed between the two groups was just some lip gloss? He'd never understand girls or how they functioned. There were just too many variables when it came to the fairer sex that left him scratching his head in confusion. But even so, the fact that it also took such a simple thing to break the tension also reflects that despite their military training they were still, in fact, teenage girls with the same worries and problems as any other teenage girl.

"What about you?" Elizabeth asked the silver haired girl who remained silent during the whole exchange. She didn't even look up from her plate. "I can have it sent out here if you'd like."

"Hmph." Amelia just gave the blonde a bitter smirk. "You Pandora are quite something, showing off your money like that. Or is this how rich people get the others to do what they want?" She stated hotly as she tried suppressing various bad memories from her past. They didn't need to come out now.

In the face of such ill intent, Elizabeth calmly observed her. "Your inferiority complex is showing, you know?" Came her rather blunt statement, freezing the E-Pandora in shock. "I am simply recognizing that the Mably brand is well know and offer our products at a fair price. If you believe that an act of good will towards my fellow soldiers who risk their lives to fight against Novas is nothing more than a contemptible act of pity that us rich people promote, then let me tell you right now that you are wrong. That flawed view of your will only lead you to ruin." The small 'lecture' came in such a commanding tone that no E-Pandora ,or regular Pandora for that matter, could go against.

The silver haired E-Pandora stared for a few moments at her former opponent, feeling anger rise into her body, only to halt when she processed everything she said. "What do you mean?" She asked in a neutral voice. Had she really called the E-Pandora her comrades?

Noticing that she her intentions were sinking in, Elizabeth continued. "The world is not a fair place. In it there are those blessed with power and those without. That is the rule which this world follows and denying that would be nothing short of ignorance. The only reason I won in our battle was because I was born with a stigmata compatible body and thanks to the experience I've acquired, not because of whatever our background may be. But are those without a good background or powerless doomed to remain on the sidelines? I'm sure you believe otherwise. Am I wrong?" She looked the E-Pandora in the eye.

"I..." Amelia was at a loss of words. She didn't know what to do other than watch and listen to the blond girl. She felt shame pit itself in her gut as the Pandora who she had pretty much mocked was not only telling her that she thought of her and her teammates as fellow comrades, but also that their upbringing didn't matter.

"We Pandora were asked to come here to Alaska to help make you stronger. The data gathered from our battles will serve that very purpose. As comrades who will walk on the same battlefield it is important for us to know of each other's strengths and weaknesses in order to not hinder our objective. For that reason, it is our duty as fellow soldiers to who fight for the human race to help you get stronger." The blonde haired girl finished, giving the E-Pandora an encouraging smile.

Then, most surprisingly, Ichigo himself had something to add to the discussion. "What she's trying to say is that none of us are the same and as such our roles will also be different. Some of us might play bigger or smaller roles, that doesn't matter. What matters is that on the battlefield we should be able to trust in our comrades because only then we'll be able to give it our all in a fight." He vaguely remembered lecturing Ishida about something like this a while ago, but the details of that particular talk escaped him. Was it when the Bounts appeared and the bastard 'wisely' decided not to tell anyone that he lost his powers and played the dramatic hero role? It probably was that. Anyway, he got the point across.

"Why thank you for sharing your thoughts, Ichigo." Elizabeth thanked him with a bright and meaningful smile as she was pleasantly surprised by his insight on the matter. She honestly did not expect him to be so serious and knowledgeable on the more finer details regarding camaraderie, but his sincerity was very appreciated.

Amelia was at a loss of words at their honesty. As she was trying to come up with a response she heard a person approach the table from behind.

"Wow, those were some cool speeches you guys managed to pull!" The voice belonged to none other than the American Pandora, Roxanne Elipton, as she was cheerfully making her way to the group and stopping behind the silver haired girl. With her left hand she leaned on the back of Ichigo's chair, barely coming into contact with his shoulder while the right hand circled the E-Pandora's shoulder and brought her closer to her body in a side hug. "They are right though. You've got quite the fighting spirit in you. I'll gladly have you by my side when we're up against the Nova." She cheered Amelia, giving her a big smile leaving her and the other E-Pandora speechless.

"Now, about that discount." The magenta haired girl reminded everyone playfully as she looked expectantly at West Genetics' 2nd strongest Pandora. "I'd like one too. Oh and I think you might want to get a list." Not soon after the words left her lips, half a dozen Pandora swarmed to their table, wishing to be added on the discount list. Roxanne had also heard the orange haired Limiter groan at the sudden crown. Tapping him slowly on the shoulder she managed to gain his attention. "Want one too?" She joked with a big grin on her face.

Ichigo nearly exploded at the implication. "Heck no! Why would I want any lip gloss?" He asked the red headed girl looking at her as if she grew another head that completely messed up her thinking process. Out of impulse, he switched his gaze towards his blonde haired classmate and almost groaned again when he saw the mischief in her sky blue colored orbs.

"Don't worry Ichigo. I'm sure there is something strawberry flavored for you." She replied with an almost whimsical smile. It was such a crude joke to make, but the atmosphere was just so that she couldn't resist it.

Again with the strawberry name crap. Ichigo felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance as he stared at her cheerful visage. He released a breath to calm himself before he proceeded once again to correct and explain to the British Pandora the true meaning of his name, word by word if needed.

Amelia remained silent in the whole river of words that were flowing through the air. Watching them interact like that, Pandora and Limiter, brought light to her perspective. She had been foolish to misjudge them like that. It was wrong of her, almost hypocritical. Something inside of her shifted at this turn of events, at the emotions that were now coursing through her alongside the words that were said. They opened a scar within her, one that she wouldn't otherwise dare show. Yet there was something in this whole environment that just brought it out, along with her fears and insecurities. Unconsciously, her hand grasped the one belonging to the American Pandora, who didn't seem inclined to move anytime soon, and just held on to it. Initially, she didn't harbor any thoughts of a peaceful collaboration with the Pandora or anything regarding their group. But now, watching how they got along and how much of an effect it was having on her heart, she wished that maybe, maybe she, along with her teammates, could be part of something like this as well.

**xxx**

In a separate part of the facility, one reserved mostly for the scientists and auxiliary staff, the head of the E-Pandora project, Scarlett Ohara, was watching the footage from the cafeteria via the cameras mounted in the room.

"They seem to be getting along now." One of her assistant commented as stood next to her viewing the same screen.

"A feeling of unity among the, huh." She mused to herself as she brought the cup she had in her hand to her mouth and took a sip of her coffee. This could only complicate matters for all the parties involved.

"Doctor." The light haired assistant started hesitantly. "Do we really have to make that announcement now that they've just started to get along?" He asked the head doctor.

She didn't want to, not so soon, not when she wasn't ready, not when it was so dangerous, not when she saw the E-Pandora finally become friendly with the guest group. "We've got no choice." She replied in the same cold and calculating voice she had grown so used to using. The Committee's words were absolute after all, the Director said so himself. "This is war after all." But the question was, against who?

**xxx**

The next day, Ichigo, along with Pandora, Limiters and E-Pandora, stood in the very same auditorium that housed everyone on the first day. For some reason, they had called them very early today, it was barely past 7 in the morning, yet they made it clear that it was importance and their presence was mandatory. Ichigo didn't really mind as he wasn't one to sleep late, probably a result of his father's ludicrous waking up routine and just the fact that he took his school schedule seriously most of the time.

Whispers were heard in the whole room as many students were wondering about this early summon. Ichigo didn't pay much mind to them, but he did raise an eyebrow at the suggestion of a surprise party. Some people sure lived simple lives, minus the whole defending mankind from giant aliens part.

After a relatively short wait, the head scientist of the E-Pandora project entered the stage and addressed the student who quieted down upon noticing her.

"Good morning everyone. I hope you enjoyed breakfast." Ichigo's eyebrow twitched at that. Neither he, nor the rest of the students had gotten any yet. "It's already been a few days since all of you arrived at this base. And starting today I ask of you to provide your assistance in earnest." Her voice resounded loudly in the massive room.

"Now then, if you would please look at the monitor." With hand gesture at the screen, the picture shifted and an image appeared on the screen. Said image had the silhouette of a female body and written on it was the title, 'Mission Syncro'. Murmurs filled the room once again as the majority of people were wondering if there was another project involved. The doctor was quick to clarify the confusion as she began speaking again. "As you have all guessed, this is a new project that we will initiate here at the laboratory starting today with the objective to aid our original project. To put it simply, our plan is to raise the abilities of the E-Pandora to that of the original's. And to do that, firstly, we examine the E-Pandora's stigmata and assign them a temporary Pandora partner who they will synchronize their stigmata activity with. By doing that, the E-Pandora will experience a simulated version of the original's power. The level of stigmata density the E-Pandora will experience will be converted into real life vitals. We have hope that this mission will increase the abilities of the E-Pandora greatly."

"She makes it sound so easy and simple." Ichigo heard the American Pandora, Roxanne, comment from her spot a few feet next to him, her arms crossed under her chest as she took the news in. "This isn't like heating up some frozen food."

The substitute had to agree with her. It all sounded nice and all, but was it really so?

The doctor continued with her speech, unperturbed by the sounds coming from the students. "However, in order to protect against the flow that can occur in a body not originally meant for handling stigmata with high compatibility rates, the committee has decided that the E-Pandora will be administered a new medicine as a precaution to that. That is Mark 4!" She declared loudly.

As soon as those words left the woman's mouth, the E-Pandora gathered at the speech were shocked into silence at the news. After the previous failure they were going to use something like that again? Amelia, knowing the full risks and danger of such a medicine felt her body run cold as neither she, nor her teammates could suppress the visible shudder their bodies were giving.

Ichigo stared at the screen with his normal scowl in place. Recalling the dangers he was informed of regarding stigmata, compatibility rate and what could happen in case of an error left him skeptical of this whole project. Could a simple medicine like that 'Mark 4' really prevent anything from happening? He didn't know what to believe, but a part of him was doubtful and looking at the shocked, no, almost scared expressions of the E-Pandora girls, his bad feeling from the day before returned full force, like a knot in the pit of his stomach.

**xxx**

**Chapter End.**

AN: And cut! Wait, why did I just say 'cut'? This isn't some movie. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it. It's been quite the wait, but I've finally managed to put this chapter out. One thing I will say is that I won't apologize for the late chapter. And before you get mad and start throwing rocks at me, hear me out. Here's what I believe, an apology means something only if you learn something from it or something changes because of it (I think). If I apologize every chapter it will lose its meaning over time. So here's what I'll do instead. I'll promise that I'll get the next chapter out within 3 months. I will try to do it sooner, but 3 months is the personal deadline I've decided on. I'll see how it goes and decide on the way if I can change it. It goes without saying that the chapters will be over 10k words, they all end up like that somehow so I won't bother to fight it.

Okay, about this chapter. I've done the whole 'Ichigo attracts most of the females' trope that seems to be in most crossover fanfics for some reason. I mean we know that Ichigo is a 'hottie', we had Riruka confirm that for us. I will write Ichigo like that again though, but just when the scene calls for it, otherwise I feel that it can bother the story.

And since we're at the story. Not much deviation from cannon other than a few interactions and some rewritten scenes. I have to say, Freezing Zero helps a lot when it comes to understanding certain characters. Gives you all sorts of ideas on how to write and develop them.

Other than that I hope everything was good this chapter regarding characterization and grammar. I felt a bit rusty while writing this and I'm a bit unsure. Any feedback you can give will be highly appreciated.

The next few days I'll probably edit bits and pieces of my entire story, correcting some mistakes and things like that and then I'll get on with writing the next chapter.

So that's it for now. Don't forget to review, follow or favorite if you like the story.

Bye bye.


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